Dales Life July/Augst 2010

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JULY/AUGUST iSSUe 2010

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DalesLife

A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

Eating Out Delicious recipes for alfresco eating!

THE WONDERFUL WHARFE First in a new series of guided walks

Wall Flowers A surprising walled garden in the Dales

TRUE COLOURS The magical world of Yorkshire artist COLIN SMITHSON

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DalesLife

The editor’s Letter July/August 2010 Editor: Sue Gillman

Summer is here at last, and this issue is packed with exciting ideas about how to make the most of the long days and warm weather.

Nothing beats eating outside on the patio or in the garden. On p.38 you can find a selection of recipes for light, fresh and delicious summer food — ideal for alfresco eating — from cookery writer Lindy Wildsmith.

We may be halfway through the year, but it’s not too late to sow food plants that will give you a tasty harvest this autumn. Turn to p.20 for advice on growing Adam Appleyard’s favourite late-season crops. And if you’re enjoying the sight and scent of this summer’s roses, why not plant some of your own? With modern varieties it’s not nearly as difficult as you might think, as Rebecca Pow explains on p.64.

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

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

If you would prefer to enjoy someone else’s garden rather than toil in your own — or you want to pick up ideas and tips from an award-winning local gardener — then what about exploring the beautiful walled garden at Swinton Park? You can read all about it on p.8.

The Dales are full of splendid places to take a walk with friends and family. For those in search of inspiration, we’re introducing a new series of guided walks. In the first of them, on p.88 Rodger Matthews explores one of the most scenic and interesting stretches of the River Wharfe.

Fly fishing is another good way to relax in the great outdoors. If, like me, you’ve always wanted to try it but never known where to begin, then you’re in luck.

Accomplished fly fisher Robert MacDougall-Davis knows all the best spots, and on p.110 he tells you how to get started.

Finally I am sure you will have already noticed our delightful cover, which is taken from a painting by local artist Colin Smithson. You can see more of his charming, whimsical pictures, and find out what inspires him, on p.14.

We will be back in September, with plenty more great new features and, of course, all your old favourites. Until then, enjoy this issue of Dales Life and the rest of the summer!

Sue Gillman

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Contents

July/August 2010

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88

38 14

On the cover 8 Wall Flowers

38 Eating Out

Ian Henry visits the colourful and surprising walled garden at Swinton Park, Masham.

These light, fresh and delicious recipes from Lindy Wildsmith are ideal for alfresco eating.

14 True Colours

88 Stepping Out

Brian Pike meets Yorkshire artist Colin Smithson.

In the first of a new series, Rodger Matthews explores The River Wharfe from Bolton Abbey to Barden Tower.

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Contents

48

56

Features 20 Dig This

74 Playing For High Stakes

Adam Appleyard gives the lowdown on his favourite crops.

Tinplate toys can fetch a small fortune says Tennants valuer Nick Lambert.

28 The Discerning Diner Claudia Blake visits The Bay Horse, in Hurworth.

34 On The Grapevine Rose wines are ideal for alfresco drinking says Christine Austin.

48 Saving Grace Eat in style without breaking the bank, three economical recipes from Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.

56 Beauty And The Beasts A wildlife garden doesn’t have to be an untamed wilderness, explains expert Chris Baines.

64 The Future's Rosy Rebecca Pow explains how to grow English Roses.

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

85 Beauty Spot Sue Gillman tests the Caci Ultimate Anti-Ageing treatment at A Vita in Yarm.

100 Country Diary A comprehensive guide to events, compiled by Emma Gillman.

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110 A New Angle The Dales is the perfect place to start fly fishing says angling enthusiast Robert MacDougall-Davis.

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

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

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flowers WALL

Ian Henry visits the colourful and surprising walled garden at Swinton Park

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magine the walled garden of a country house and you’ll most probably conjure up an image of serried ranks of neatly manicured flowers and vegetables, bullied into a state of picture-book perfection by an army of weather-beaten gardeners. If so, then the walled garden at Swinton Park — the luxurious hotel and spa set in rolling parkland a mile or two southwest of Masham — may come as something of a surprise.

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Rather than recreating the garden as it was in its Victorian heyday, Susan Cunliffe-Lister (hailed as 2001’s Gardener of the Year by Country Life) has wholeheartedly embraced modern materials and techniques to create a strikingly 21st century version. The result is — during summer, at least — an extraordinarily profuse jumble of shapes and colours that nonetheless also serves as a highly productive source of fresh fruit and vegetables for the use of Swinton Park’s head chef Simon Crannage and his staff.

Susan is nothing if not experimental, and she is a mine of information. Several of her techniques certainly came as a surprise to me.

Susan began her restoration project by covering much of the four-acre garden with an impermeable membrane. She then covered this with gravel and planted a variety of flowers, vegetables and herbs in holes pierced through it. But rather than insisting on neat, clearly defined rows and blocks of vegetation, she has let many of the plants self-seed, blurring the boundaries and creating dense masses of colour, scent and texture.

Amongst the rows of asparagus, for example, red orache, land cress and Russian kale — edible greens that are firm favourites in the hotel kitchen — grow freely. Parsley, sorrel and fennel do likewise, along with huge tracts of thyme, buzzing with bees. Even lofty angelica plants somehow manage to thrive in the narrow band of soil and detritus between the gravel and the membrane. Mixed in with them are attractive flowering species 10

including pinks, campanulas, valerian, selfseeded mock orange and occasional uninvited visitors such as yellow corydalis. Add to that substantial beds of roses and vibrant blue delphiniums, and the overall effect is one of almost overwhelming richness.

And yet Susan’s laissez-faire attitude towards enterprising self-seeders has most definitely not been at the expense of productivity. Last year, for example, the garden produced an astonishing 46lb of tiny, luscious wild strawberries, and a yet more staggering 500lb of summer and autumn raspberries. Other crops from the garden include broad beans, artichokes, courgettes, rhubarb, salsify, currants, gooseberries, apples and figs, along with any number of different kinds of herbs.

I was amazed to learn that this bountiful garden, which in the past was under the care of a team of fourteen gardeners, is now managed by a mere three: Susan herself plus two part-timers.

As part of Swinton Park’s extensive year-round programme of events and activities, Susan conducts a series of Garden Lunches, during which visitors enjoy a two-course menu that includes garden produce, followed by a tour of the walled garden and the estate’s lakes and parkland, with attention focusing on various highlights — daffodils, rhododendrons or azaleas, for example — according to the season. She also runs Garden Design Days in which she shares her experiences with two very different walled gardens, Swinton Park’s and the award-winning ornamental garden at Burton Agnes Hall near Driffield in East Yorkshire.

These events are, of course, an ideal opportunity for keen gardeners to pick up ideas and tips. Susan is nothing if not experimental, and she is a mine of information. Several of her techniques certainly came as a surprise to me. She grows her strawberry plants directly onto rotted straw bales, for example, and she uses sheep fleece as a mulch. Not only does the latter protect the plants and discourage weeds, she explained, but it acts as a valuable fertiliser too. As it decays over the course of a couple of years it releases substantial amounts of valuable nitrogen into the soil.

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On my way back from the walled garden my attention was distracted by the sleek forms and penetrating calls of the handsome hawks, falcons and owls at Swinton’s Bird of Prey centre. The birds are housed in an atmospheric Victorian gothic folly — constructed to convey a tasteful state of stylised ‘ruin’ — set between the hotel and the gardens. It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate setting for them. A huge, amber-eyed European Eagle Owl hunched under the arch of a stone window is certainly a sight to remember. Swinton Park runs a series of Falconry Display Lunches for those who would like to see the birds, and marvel at their finely honed aerial manouevres, at close quarters.

For full details about Swinton Park and a programme of events there — including Susan Cunliffe-Lister’s Garden Lunches and Garden Design Days, Falconry Display Lunches and September’s Alfresco Food Festival — visit www.swintonpark.com.

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True Colours Brian Pike meets Yorkshire artist Colin Smithson 14

Fortified Farm (detail)

Colin Smithson’s burgeoning front garden, packed with flowers, is a luscious haze of dreamy, vibrant colours. And so too are his paintings, as I discover when I step from the garden into his cool, airy display space. Like his garden, the foregrounds of Colin’s paintings of the Dales bristle with a glorious profusion of blooms. In the case of the paintings it feels as if you are crouching in a luxuriant meadow, viewing the scene through a cloud of buttercups, daisies, pignuts and forget-me-nots.

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Small Cove

It’s an unashamedly nostalgic evocation of the Dales in early summer, and one deeply rooted in his own experience. Colin now lives in a secluded hamlet not far from Scorton, but for many years he and his wife Sheila — also a successful professional artist — lived in Marrick, in Swaledale.

Although the Dales can seem like an earthly paradise on a sunny day, the high, lonely farms can be bleak places to live and work.

Colin, of course, is well aware of this, and despite the superficially lighthearted tone of his Dales paintings there are nods to some of the more challenging aspects of life in the uplands. Stone cottages cling precariously to steep hillsides, and animals, tractors and quad bikes edge up and down equally perilous inclines. There’s a sense that everyone here is only just managing to cling on.

Despite the suggestions of difficulty, though, it’s the humour that shines through — the cow in a greenhouse, the sheep bursting into a 16

cottage garden, the phlegmatic cat dozing in the sunshine on top of a dry-stone wall.

Colin worked as an illustrator in London — his prestigious clients included Penguin Books — before settling in the Dales in the 1970s. He arrived at his current style, which is partly inspired by his love of the art of the 1950s, some ten years ago. Although he is currently best known amongst art lovers for his lyrical depictions of the northern Dales, he is determined not to become pigeonholed. A recent visit to St Ives has resulted in a series of lively harbourscapes in which he turns his attention to life in a Cornish fishing port.

As with his paintings of the Dales, there’s a tension in the harbour scenes between cosy nostalgia and the trials of working in a challenging environment. In Small Cove, for instance, a boat squeezes between the breakwaters into a tiny harbour, where a black dog waits placidly. Outside the harbour, though, the horizon line falls away at a steep

St Cuthbert Sings To The Birds

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A View Over A Wall (detail)

angle, as if to emphasise the dangers posed by the choppy and unpredictable sea.

My favourite of Colin’s sea paintings, though, is set closer to home, in the Farne Islands. Entitled St Cuthbert Sings to the Birds, it was inspired by Colin’s researches into the seventh century patron saint of Northumbria. Whilst living the life of a hermit on the Farnes, St Cuthbert is said to have introduced laws to protect the seabirds living on the islands — arguably the first known bird protection laws in history.

Colin’s endearingly eccentric interpretation of this story is one of his most joyful images. An exuberant St Cuthbert, scarf streaming behind him in the wind, strums what appears to be a banjo whilst balancing impossibly on a rowboat tossing in the crashing waves.

Assembled on the vertical cliffs to hear his serenade is a crowd of terns, puffins and shags. Behind them, in abrupt contrast to the wild sea, an expanse of lush, flat, verdant grassland stretches away into the distance.

Sheila Smithson’s pictures, like Colin’s, use vibrant colours and lively floral motifs. The 18

results, however, are strikingly different.

Sheila is fascinated by patterns, and she layers the shapes of flowers, fruit, leaves and stems to create complex, almost abstract, interpretations of the lush seasonal richness of local fields, woods and hedgerows. She and Colin work separately, but frequently pause to exchange constructive criticism.

“Contrary to popular belief,” says Colin, “the life of an artist isn’t necessarily an idyllic one.

Some people claim they paint for pleasure,” he says, “but as far as I’m concerned it’s hard work. Every picture is a balancing act, an attempt to solve a lot of different problems simultaneously. I constantly rework my paintings, often taking them back out of their frames to — for example — change the feel of the weather in a particular scene.”

“What’s so exciting about it, though, is when you make a link with people, when you set down your vision and someone comes along and responds to it in just the way you hoped that they would. Creating that kind of connection with your viewers is what makes it all worth while.”

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Dig is!

Don’t give up on planting just because it’s summer! Adam Appleyard gives the lowdown on his favourite end-of-year crops.

MANY NOVICE VEGETABLE GARDENERS HAVE FIXED IDEAS about the shape of the gardening year. In spring you plant seeds. In summer, feed and water. And autumn, of course, is harvest time. According to this mindset, once Midsummer Day has come and gone it’s way too late to plant any more crops for the current year.

leaves to give a lift to salads. As the year wears on, the remaining plants should form tight hearts which you can harvest with a sharp knife. These dense hearts are ‘self-blanching’ because the outer leaves exclude light from the inner ones. Optionally, ten days before you need them you can tie the outside leaves together to enhance this self-blanching effect.

Which is a great shame, because if you’re prepared to be flexible there are still plenty of things that you can plant out right now, and that will put food on your table well into the autumn.

Chicory varieties

So don’t give up on planting yet. As each of your early or mid-season crops comes to fruition, maximise productivity by putting something new in its place. With that in mind, here are my top recommendations for late-summer planting.

‘Bianca di Milano’ (also known as ‘Pain de Sucre’ and ‘Pan di Zucchero’) forms tight, upright green heads with tender, mild hearts.

Radicchio is a chicory with white-veined maroon leaves, and ‘Palla Rosso’ is a good variety of radicchio to try. The leaves won’t turn red until the cold weather starts to bite — something to look forward to as the year fades.

Salad greens Chicory There’s a certain mystique to chicory growing, but don’t let that discourage you. Yes, there are some varieties that require an elaborate forcing procedure — and my advice is not to bother with them! Choose one of the easy ‘self-blanching’ varieties and you’ve got an excellent late-season leaf crop that will take you right through to Christmas, and that you can bake, braise, roast or add to salads.

Sow thinly, about 1cm deep in a well-fertilised, sunny, freely draining site. Thin seedlings to around 20cm apart. Water well during dry weather to prevent them from bolting.

You can treat one or two of your plants as a ‘cut and come again’ crop and use the bitter

Lettuces and salad greens are the perfect crop for the gardener who is prepared to think flexibly. So you’ve just dug half a row of onions? Or found an empty pot at the back of the shed? Then plant some lettuces. And don’t be precious about your flower beds either. If there’s a gap in your pansies then plug it with a quick crop of crisp salad leaves — not only do they taste great, but many of them have attractive ornamental leaves too.

There is one thing that you must bear in mind about salad greens, though. Your aim may be to produce those fresh, cool leaves, but as far as the plant is concerned the name of the game is making flowers and setting seed.

Once the plant ‘bolts’ in this way, its leaves become tough and bitter.

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Nothing encourages bolting like hot, dry weather. As high summer looms, therefore, you may be best off planting salad greens in those partially shaded spots that you wouldn’t necessarily choose in spring. Similarly, you can shoehorn them into gaps between other flowers and vegetables to take advantage of the moister micro-climate afforded by massed foliage. As the year wears on, of course, you should revert to lighter, airier spots.

If a lot of plants mature at the same time then they will bolt more rapidly than you can use them. Hence it’s better to sow in small quantities each week than in large volumes every now and then. Sow seeds thinly, about 1cm deep. Water in well, and drench plentifully thereafter. Thin out seedlings as necessary; crowded plants won’t thrive.

Some varieties can be treated as ‘cut and come again’ sources of leaves, that’s to say if you pick the leaves systematically when they are 8-10cm long then more will grow to replace them.

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Varieties of salad greens ‘Little Gem’ is a classic crisp, sweet, compact lettuce; it grows speedily and is an ideal choice for beginners. Looser, and with beautiful deep red leaves, ‘Lollo Rosso’ is a striking ‘cut and come again’ lettuce. Rocket makes a great salad ingredient; an oily dressing takes the edge off its hot, peppery taste. It’s a doddle to grow but quickly runs to seed, so only plant a little at a time. The same is true of mizuna, an attractive, mustardflavoured Oriental leaf. Add the young leaves raw to salads or scatter them into a stir fry.

Peas and pea shoots I recommended mangetout peas in the last issue, but what about peas for shelling? Well the good news is that you can sow these in sheltered spots until the end of July in expectation of delicious pods of tender green peas in September.

Most peas require some sort of support.

Traditionally gardeners use ‘pea sticks’ for

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short varieties, and if you have a ready source of well-branched sticks then use these. If you can’t find pea sticks, or you plan on growing taller varieties, canes alone won’t provide enough purchase; however, you can easily make a cane structure and rig it with tight horizontal lengths of twine or netting.

Turnips Turnips may sound dull, and if left to grow old and woody so they are. But pick them small (3-4cm in diameter) and they are a gourmet sought-after ingredient. Quite apart from haute cuisine, they are lovely in early autumn stews or as a roasted side vegetable.

Sow thinly, 2cm deep in well-nourished soil in partial shade, allowing 15cm between rows. As with other plantings, you can make blocks of several short rows to fit odd spaces that become available in your garden. Water well, and thin seedlings to 2.5cm apart.

Other than regular watering they will need no further attention. The leaves are edible, and your baby turnips will look great cooked and served with a small crown of cropped leaf stalks.

Turnip varieties

Peas appreciate rich soil, so dig in lots of manure or compost. Soak peas in lukewarm water overnight to give them a head start and sow them 5-7cm apart and about 5cm deep.

Gourmet chefs aren’t the only ones attracted to pea shoots, so I generally protect mine from mice and birds with a netting tunnel until they are established. Water well, and make sure the plants are securely attached to their supporting structure.

Alternatively, forget shelled peas altogether and just feast on the shoots — they make excellent garnishes and salad ingredients. If you want shoots you can plant the peas in tight blocks. When the pea shoots are 1520cm high, snip off the top 10-15cm and the plants will soon send up new shoots.

Peas for late cropping It may sound strange, but for late sowings of peas you need to use early cropping varieties, the reason being that they mature faster than maincrop varieties. ‘Early Onward’ is a widely available, reliable early crop pea. For growing pea shoots, any variety should be fine — in fact it’s a great way to use up odds and ends of packets. For perfectionists, though, ‘Sugarsnap’ peas are reputed to have the best shoots.

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‘Tokyo Cross’ is fast-growing and pure white.

‘Purple Top Milan’ is a comely turnip with a flattened, purple top and does well in chilly sites. ‘Golden Ball’ (also know as ‘Orange Jelly’) has sweet golden flesh and will keep well.

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Discerning The

DiNeR

Claudia Blake visits The Bay Horse in Hurworth 28

urworth is a handsome village on the banks of the Tees a mile or two south of Darlington, and The Bay Horse stands on the north side of its spacious greencum-main street.

H

mango chutney, blobs of spicy green gazpacho and an elegant tracery of pea shoots. The flavours came together on the palate every bit as happily as the shapes and colours on the plate.

Behind the whitewashed frontage you’ll find a subtle, contemporary take on the timehonoured English country pub. With its open fireplace, window seats, solid old furniture and wood-floored dining room, The Bay Horse has a cosy, mellow ambience that conjures up the hostelries of yesteryear. Look closely, though, and you’ll see that the curtains and upholstery, with their warm maroons and woody tones, are actually stylish modern fabrics. It’s a clever marriage of the traditional and the bang-up-to-date. Would the food pull off the same trick?

Piers’ starter, black pudding with assorted bits and pieces, was equally meticulously plated.

The fine, warm, soft and crumbly black pudding was matched with lashings of apricot chutney and scattered cubes of spicy pickled apple. Arguably this fruity accompaniment was in danger of swamping the subtle flavour of the black pudding itself, but the dish nonetheless got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Piers.

In an evening of splendid food, the highlight was Piers’ pressed belly pork with Yorkshire rhubarb chutney and a piece of ham, rosemary and rhubarb sausage.

The prompt arrival of a basket of scrumptious home-baked black pudding brioche and figand-walnut bread suggested that indeed it might. We ordered a couple of glasses of a decent Sauvignon Blanc from the several whites available by the glass and set to work on our starters.

The first thing to say — and this applies to everything we ate — is that the presentation was top-notch. My potted Whitby crab arrived in a miniature Kilner-style lidded glass jar, set on an oval white plate, across which a variety of small and tasty elements were artfully arranged. These included some kind of crisp, globular crab croquette, a tiny tubular tower of shredded carrot, a quenelle of vibrant

The Kilner jars made a second appearance alongside my main course: a plump, juicy duck breast, precisely seasoned and perfectly cooked. In this case the jar contained an intoxicatingly intense stew of flaked duck that had been given a crisp, summery lift by the addition of fresh green peas. A duck sausage, a splash of sweet potato purée and a wad of spinach rounded off the plate. All absolutely delicious, but uncompromisingly rich and meaty. In retrospect I regretted not ordering any side vegetables to provide a bit of contrast.

In an evening of splendid food, the highlight was Piers’ pressed belly pork with Yorkshire rhubarb chutney and a piece of ham, rosemary and rhubarb sausage. With its crisp skin, lusciously melting fat and dreamily succulent meat, the pork was as close as you get to Carnivore Nirvana. The sausage, served in small cubes, was excellent, and the rhubarb chutney added just the right level of soursweet zing to the occasion. Marvellous.

On to desserts, then. Cherry brandy trifle for me, I think. But wait, what’s this? The trifle has arrived. In the third miniature Kilner jar of the evening. Yes, that’s right, we’ve had a Kilner jar in every course. Potted crab in a glass jar? Yes, I suppose that makes sense.

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Duck stew in a glass jar? Mildly eccentric.

Trifle in a glass jar? Hmm. Is Chef getting a bit obsessive? Or are there big discounts on Kilner jars down at the wholesale store?

Fortunately the trifle that Chef has bullied into the jar is a gorgeous, darkly alcoholic one, and it comes with a pleasant slab of frangipane cake and a colourful cherry sorbet.

Piers has a sorbet too, a brilliantly punchy lime one. It came as an accompaniment to a melange of luscious summer berries, along with a nicely textured slice of pistachio cake.

Thereafter it’s on to tea, an espresso and two homemade chocolate truffles. None of these items arrives in a Kilner jar. Perhaps they’re all in the dishwasher.

Leaving wine, minerals and coffee out of the equation, the bill for the actual food came to £60, that’s to say £30 a head for three courses.

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Admittedly there were cheaper mains on offer, but then in hindsight I would have stumped up another fiver for side dishes. Wine by the glass starts at around £6 for a large one, and the tea, espresso and sparkling water added another £7 or so to our tab.

As you will have gathered, we were both very impressed with the food, which was pretty flawless as far as both taste and presentation were concerned. Service was attentive, professional and unobtrusive, and the atmosphere was relaxed and easygoing.

Whilst it is hardly a bargain-basement dining option, The Bay Horse offers great value for money and I’m already racking my brains for an excuse to go back.

The Bay Horse is at 45 The Green, Hurworth, Darlington, DL2 2AA. For more information call 01325 720663 or visit www.thebayhorsehurworth.com.

Contemporary dining in the Yorkshire Dales

Master Classes Cooking fish 27th July Fresh fish cooked to perfection. Join us for a selection of fish dishes - baked seabass, poached salmon, grilled plaice, crab cakes and much more.

Master bread maker We are proud to introduce new Head Chef Andy Brook to Hendersons Bar & Restaurant. Andy brings with him a wealth of experience from restaurants throughout London and the Midlands.

Using only locally sourced ingredients for our range of menus, our stunning restaurant set deep in the rolling countryside offers you the perfect place to relax and enjoy some of the finest food in the Yorkshire Dales.

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

For bookings and enquiries please telephone (01969) 663268 Hendersons Bar and Restaurant, Westholme Estate, Aysgarth, North Yorkshire DL8 3SP

7th September A unique experience to learn from our guest expert, Master Baker Ian Scholes. In his 70’s, Ian has been baking for 50 years and will show you some classic bread-making skills from sour dough to Yorkshire miller’s cob.

For more details on rooms and menus visit www.grassingtonhousehotel.co.uk Stay the night in one of our superior rooms from £45 per person inclusive of full English breakfast.

Subject to availability

For all table reservations and further information, please contact The Grassington House, 5 The Square, Grassington, North Yorkshire 01756 752406 bookings@grassingtonhousehotel.co.uk

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Enjoy Roux Scholar Jonathan Harrison's unique cuisine in the traditional surroundings of The Sandpiper Inn. Modern British Food using only the finest local ingredients, beautifully prepared and presented.

Fine wines, real ales and friendly service.

Accommodation available.

Market Place, Leyburn, North Yorkshire Tel: 01969 622206 www.sandpiperinn.co.uk

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

Saturday Brunch from 11.30 to 2.30 Mid week lunchtime specials from £4.95 Early bird dinner menu from 6.00 to 7.30pm (excludes Saturday) 2 courses £12.00, 3 courses £16.00

For the very best in fresh local food, breathtaking views and great service.

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The Queens Head Finghall North Yorkshire 01677 450259 enquiries@queensfinghall.co.uk www.queensfinghall.co.uk

Warm, friendly and welcoming A traditional pub serving delicious homemade food cooked to order, using locally sourced produce.

Cosy bar offering a choice of real cask ales, including local breweries The Black Sheep and Theakstons.

Mine hosts: Sharon and Ken

THe BAY HoRSe iNN

5 Silver Street, Masham, Ripon HG4 4DX

01765 689 236 www.bayhorsemasham.co.uk

Day time menu Served 12-2.30 Monday to Thursday all day Friday and Saturday

Sample Menu Green lip mussels, with garlic butter and cheese

Served from 5pm

Local saddle of lamb, roasted with apple, rosemary and garlic jelly

Food served all day on Sunday

Homemade Sticky Toffee Pudding

Evening menu

Stone House Hotel

GRoUSe WeeK Wednesday 25th August to Saturday 28th August from 7.15pm 3 course meal £32.50 Vennell’s Restaurant 7 Silver Street, Masham N. Yorkshire, HG4 4DX Tel: 01765 689000 www.vennellsrestaurant.co.uk

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

Tel : (01969) 667571 www.stonehousehotel.co.uk 33

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Rosé wines

on the

Grapevine Rosé wines are ideal for alfresco drinking.

Christine Austin selects some of the best. rom palest pink to deepest carmine, rosé wine is the best thing to have in your glass this summer. The flavours vary just as much as the colours. They can be soft and delicate or robustly fruity, with an infinite range of tastes in-between.

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The great thing about rosé is that the whole world is now making good examples of this delicious wine. An explosion of interest from consumers has spurred winemakers into action, and rosé is no longer just a winemaking afterthought. Instead the grapes are specially selected to make pink wine, ensuring that they have all the right flavours and the correct degree of ripeness to give clear, balanced, thirst-quenching summer drinking.

The classic region for rosé is the south of France, and Provence in particular. This popular holiday hotspot has never had to work hard to sell its wines, since they are the perfect accompaniment to Provençal cuisine.

With bouillabaisse and grilled fish on the menu, there is nothing more refreshing than a glass of local rosé.

One of the key features of Provence is its rugged landscape, with rocky outcrops providing places where the heat of the south is tempered by breezes rising to meet the mountains. These are the best places to grow grapes, and at Chateau l‘Aumerade they blend the summer berry fruit of Grenache

with the light spiciness of Syrah to give a rounded fruity wine with a clear backbone of acidity. This is a perfect wine for summer lunches. The 2009 vintage can be had for £11.99 from Corks and Cases, 01765 688810.

Chateau Montaud in the Côtes de Provence also uses a blend of Grenache and Syrah, together with Carignan and the local grape variety Tibouren, to provide rounded melon, citrus and ripe strawberry fruit. This wine also has a delicious minerally quality and clean, crisp acidity, which again makes it a perfect wine to accompany food. Great Northern Wines in Ripon (01765 606767) have the 2008 vintage for £7.99.

Another classic French region for rosé is Bordeaux. Here the wine is made using the local grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and, in particular, Merlot, with its ripe flavours of bramble and raspberry and foodfriendly structure of ripe tannins and acidity.

Chateau de Sours, located in an idyllic spot between Bordeaux and St Emilion, is a favourite of mine. This lovely limestone farmhouse-style chateau is surrounded by a 60 hectare estate making top quality red wine, but they also make a significant rosé from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. The Merlot gives the wine soft, berry fruit, while the Cabernet Franc adds fresh, green leaf aromas, creating a wine that is just right for summer lunchtime drinking.

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One especially good thing about Chateau de Sours is that it comes in large bottles, such as magnums and double magnums, which are perfect for celebrations. Bon Coeur in Masham (01765 688200) is one of just three merchants in the country who act as agents for this property and they stock a range of bottle sizes. Chateau de Sours is priced at £8.99 for a standard bottle, with larger bottle sizes costing proportionately more. Check their comprehensive website on www.bcfw.co.uk.

For serious summer drinking you can do no better than enjoy a glass of pink champagne, and Joseph Perrier Brut Rosé (£39.99 from Lewis & Cooper, 01609 772880) is stylish with fresh strawberry aromas, red fruits on the palate and a soft creamy finish. You can drink this on its own as an aperitif, but it has enough weight and flavour to enjoy with a meal.

Pink champagne is ideal for summer weddings and family celebrations.

Less expensive, but still packed with summer fruit freshness, is Anna de Cordoníu Rose from Spain (Lewis & Cooper, £10.99). This is made using Pinot Noir — the classic grape of champagne — to give raspberry-packed flavours with a clean, crisp finish.

With its long sunny summers and foodcentred lifestyle, Italy makes plenty of musthave rosé wines. The northeastern part of Italy is known for its aromatic wines, made from grapes grown on the foothills of the Dolomites and in the plains that lead down to Venice. Much of Italy’s easy-quaffing Pinot Grigio comes from here, and a blush version such as Cielo Pinot Grigio 2009 (£6.99, Nidderdale Fine Wine, 01423 711703) provides soft, creamy strawberry fruit with a light, crowd-pleasing style. Pour this at any gathering of friends and neighbours and it will go down well.

Much more serious, and from further towards the mountains, is Lagrein Rosé 2009 (£13.99, Great Northern Wine) made by Peter Zemmer. Lagrein is a grape variety confined almost exclusively to the slopes of Trentino-Alto Adige, and it ripens to give aromatic, lightly spiced cherry fruit with elegance and refinement. This is a wine to serve with a starter of charcuterie and salads.

Its fresh, dry style will easily cope with 36

balsamic and olive oil dressings, and even a touch of lightly spiced chorizo.

While you are shopping at Great Northern it is also worth picking up a bottle of Vinicola Palama ‘Metiusco’ 2008 from the Salento region of southern Italy. Made from the local Negroamaro grape, it is a deep-flavoured wine, with lashings of cranberries, pomegranate and plums backed by a refreshing minerality.

Fresh-tasting yet complex, it makes a great wine to accompany pasta and grilled fish.

Looking outside Europe, New Zealand has moved into the rosé market with some serious wines, and the award-winning winery of St Clair in Marlborough makes some of the best. Their Pinot Rose (£9.49, Campbells of Leyburn, 01969 622169) is remarkable for its soft rose-petal and strawberry fruit.

But if you really want to make a statement this summer, take a trip to Marks & Spencer.

Their English Rosé wine made by Chapeldown in Kent (£9.99) will give you delicious, crisp, lively fruit with that restrained mineral backbone that is starting to define the style of our own English wines.

Celebrate summer in style with Campbells of Leyburn We have some fantastic products available to make this summer one to remember. During July and August we will be providing the opportunity for all store visitors to sample some of these great products. (see in store for detailed timings)

Using our: • • • • •

Finest local award winning rare breed meats Range of exceptional local products Excellent fresh fruit and vegetables Superb selection of delicatessen products Fine wines and real ales

Chefs and staff will produce some tasty snippets most weekends throughout the summer.

lus PGreat BBQ offers on both fresh and prepacked products together with a wide selection of

fine wines, beers, lagers and spirits.

Campbells of Leyburn creating the taste of summer – naturally Campbells of Leyburn, 4 Commercial Square, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5BP Tel: 01969 622169 Email: enq@campbellsofleyburn.co.uk

www.campbellsofleyburn.co.uk

eatingout These light, fresh and delicious recipes from Lindy Wildsmith are ideal for alfresco eating.

Spiced Chicken and Mango Mayonnaise with Pistachio Nuts serves 4-6 500g freshly cooked chicken meat, cut into strips 1 small ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into 1-2cm cubes 1 large slice of ripe melon, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-2cm cubes 100g seedless grapes, halved 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery 200ml mayonnaise freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon plus 1 tablespoon to serve ½ teaspoon mixed mustard seeds ½ teaspoon cumin seeds ½ teaspoon coriander seeds 2 teaspoons ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon chilli powder 1 teaspoon ground ginger 2 tablespoons pistachio nuts sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tablespoon to serve

to serve: 100g mixed salad leaves, such as lamb’s lettuce, baby spinach or radicchio 1 lemon, thinly sliced (optional) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

This pretty chicken dish makes a delicious centrepiece for a special picnic, summer buffet or family meal. Your own freshly roasted chicken or poached chicken will absorb the flavours better than if it has been left to go completely cold. However, you can make a swift version using a ready-cooked chicken and curry powder.

Put the strips of chicken in a large bowl with the mango, melon, grapes and celery. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and mix well. Put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a mortar and grind finely with a pestle. Add to the chicken with the turmeric, chili powder, ginger, 1 tablespoon of the pistachio nuts, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Mix well, cover and chill until required.

When ready to serve, arrange the salad leaves around the edge of a serving dish, drizzle with the lemon juice, add salt and pepper and top with lemon slices if using. Spoon the chicken salad into the middle of the dish and sprinkle with the coriander and the remaining pistachio nuts. Cover closely with clingfilm until ready to serve.

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Layered Salmon, Prawn and Potato Filo Pie serves 6-8 500g new potatoes 800g canned tomatoes, drained, deseeded and chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 small piece of dried chilli to taste 500g salmon fillet, skin removed, cut lengthways into medium-sized chunks 100-150g readymade pesto 100g butter, melted 6 large sheets of filo pastry 200g cooked peeled prawns sea salt and freshly ground black pepper olive oil for frying green salad to serve a springform cake tin, 22 cm diameter

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 20 minutes, or until tender, drain and leave to cool.

Heat enough olive oil to cover the base of a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chilli, reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to ensure the sauce does not stick. Mash the tomatoes to a pulp using a potato masher.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then add to the saucepan for 1-2 minutes to lightly cook.

Transfer the sauce to a bowl and leave to cool. Slice the potatoes lengthways, then put in a bowl with the pesto and toss to coat evenly.

Brush the base and sides of the cake tin with a little of the melted butter. Brush a sheet of filo pastry with melted butter and lay it across the cake tin to line the base and sides of the tin, leaving any excess hanging over the sides. Brush another sheet of filo pastry with butter and lay it at right angles to the first sheet, smoothing it down to line the the base and sides of the tin .There should now be an equal overhang of the filo all the way round the tin. Repeat with the remaining sheets of pastry, reserving a little of the butter. Cover the base of the pie with half the potato mixture, followed by half the sauce and half the prawns. Make a second layer of each and then carefully fold the overhang of pastry over the filling. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining melted butter.

Set the tin on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200 ยบC (400 ยบF) Gas 6 for 25 minutes until golden brown.

If you are going on a picnic immediately, leave to cool slightly in the tin, then wrap in a clean tea towel.

Otherwise, leave to cool completely, wrap in aluminium foil and refrigerate until required. Don't forget to take a sharp knife and platter for serving. Serve with a green salad.

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Traditional English Apple Tart serves 6 300g plain flour a pinch of sea salt 150g chilled butter, diced 5 tablespoons of chilled water 1kg cooking apples, cored and thinly sliced 100g caster sugar, plus extra to decorate and serve cream or set yoghurt to serve a shallow pie dish about 26 cm diameter, greased

Put the flour, salt and butter in a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and work the mixture together to form a dough. This should be done quickly and lightly with your fingertips, or the blade of a round-bladed knife. Alternatively, put the ingredients in a food processor and process until the ingredients are reduced to a dough.

Divide the dough in half and work each half into a neat ball. Sprinkle a clean work surface and a rolling pin with plenty of flour. Set one of the pastry balls in the centre of the flour, flatten it with the palm of your hand and shape into a neat circle. Roll the pastry one way, then give it a quarter turn and roll it the other way, shaping the dough back into a circle from time to time. Continue until the pastry is slightly larger than the pie dish.

Roll the pastry around the rolling pin and transfer it carefully to the pie dish, open it out and smooth it to line the dish and the border. Fill with the apple slices, then brush the border with water. Roll out the second ball of dough as before and put this on top of the apples. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife. Press down the border with your thumb to seal it, creating a regular pattern around the edge as you do so. Brush the top of the pie with water and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Set the pie on a baking sheet in the centre of the preheated oven and bake at 220 ºC (425 ºF) Gas 7 for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150 ºC (300 ºF) Gas 2 and bake for 20 minutes more. Check to see if the fruit is cooked by gently pushing a skewer into it. If it offers resistance it is not ready, so cook for a further 10 minutes. If you are going on a picnic immediately, allow to cool a little, wrap in a clean tea towel and a small blanket and don’t forget a pastry slice. Serve warm or cold with sugar and cream.

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Fruit Fool serves 4-6 500g blueberries or rhubarb (cut into 5cm pieces) or plums, halved and stoned 100-125g caster sugar, to taste custard: 250ml milk 1 vanilla pod 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon caster sugar 2 teaspoons cornflour

to serve: 100ml single cream (optional) fresh mint leaves (optional)

Fruit fools are the epitome of English country summer food, and are the perfect way to enjoy fruit such as blackberries, rhubarb, greengages, damsons, plums and blackberries. To save time you can use single cream instead of custard — simply mix it into the cooked rhubarb before pouring into the glasses.

To make the custard, put the milk in a small saucepan with the vanilla pod and bring slowly to simmering point. Remove the vanilla pod, rinse, dry and put to one side. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar and cornflour and slowly add the warmed milk, whisking as you do so. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat with a wire whisk until the mixture thickens. Pour into a clean shallow bowl to cook.

Put the fruit in a saucepan. Add the sugar, to taste, cover and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a food processor and reduce to a smooth purée. When cool, transfer to a bowl and stir in the custard. Spoon into tumblers and chill until required.

When ready to serve, pour a thin layer of cream over the surface and top each one with a mint leaf, if liked.

Recipes and photographs are from Sunny Days & Easy Living: Relaxed Food to Enjoy Outdoors by Lindy Wildsmith, with photographs by Martin Brigdale, published in paperback by Ryland Peters & Small at £10.99 and available from all good booksellers.

Dales Life Reader Offer Dales Life readers can buy Sunny Days & Easy Living for the special price of £8.99 including postage & packaging (RRP £10.99) by telephoning Macmillan Direct on 01256 302699 and quoting the reference GLR 3JD. 44

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Food for Thought

LIZ FAIRBURN T: 01677 460262 M: 07840 721052 E: lizfairburn@hotmail.co.uk www.meals2remember.co.uk WEDDINGS • DINNER PARTIES FAMILY CELEBRATION MEALS

Bolton Castle Tea Room Now managed by Liz of Food For Thought

If you like chocolate you’ll love The Little Chocolate Shop in Leyburn Come and see delicious chocolates being hand made in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales

Our shop and visitors centre are open from 9.00 till 5.00 Mon to Fri and 10.00 till 4.00 Sat Tel: 01969 625288 Free admission

Delicious sandwiches, light lunches and afternoon tea.

Mention Dales Life, pay for lunch and get another for half price.

Open Saturday and Sunday only 11am to 3.00pm

Bolton Castle, Near Leyburn, North Yorkshire,

T. 01969 623981 46

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

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

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

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

Need a hamper? Think inside the box!

From off-the-shelf beauties to our unrivalled create-your-own service.

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

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Grace SAViNG

Eat in style without breaking the bank, with these three economical recipes from Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Salmon Tartare SERVES 4 AS A STARTER 2 cucumbers, roughly chopped juice of 2 lemons 2 tbsp crème fraîche, or a little more to taste 1 mint sprig sea salt

Salmon Tartare a little olive oil, for oiling 270g smoked salmon trimmings or slices 50g crème fraîche finely grated zest of half a lemon 1 tbsp finely chopped chives 1½ tsp finely chopped dill leaves

Cucumber Ribbons 1 cucumber dill springs, to garnish olive oil, to drizzle

1. For the salmon tartare, brush four individual 4-5cm ring moulds with olive oil and place on a lightly oiled plate. Chop the smoked salmon finely and put into a bowl with the crème fraîche, lemon zest, chives and dill. Mix well and season with salt to taste. Press the tartare firmly into the moulds, cover with cling film and refrigerate.

2. To make the cucumber ribbons, peel the cucumber; reserve the peelings for the soup. Using a mandolin or swivel vegetable peeler, cut the cucumber flesh into long ribbons. Cut out the seeds in the centre; keep these for the soup, too. Place the cucumber ribbons on a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain and chill.

3. To make the soup, set a large bowl over another large bowl of iced water to chill. Put the chopped cucumbers, reserved peelings and seeds from the ribbons, lemon juice, 2 tbsp crème fraîche and the mint into a blender and process to a purée.

4. Pass the soup through a fine sieve directly into the chilled bowl, pressing the pulp thoroughly to extract all of the juice. Season with salt to taste and add a little more crème fraîche to taste, if desired. Cover and chill.

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Using a metal spatula, lift a tartare mould into each bowl. Carefully unmould by gently holding the salmon tartare in place while lifting off the ring mould. Fold the cucumber ribbons in half and arrange to one side of the salmon. Garnish with dill sprigs and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Pour the soup into a serving jug and serve alongside for guests to help themselves.

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Sea Bream with Fennel Salad and Orange Dressing SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE 4 sea bream fillets (about 160g each), skin on sea salt and black pepper 100ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 3 oranges (blood oranges when in season) 1 fennel bulb, trimmed (reserve the leafy tops; use dill sprigs if the fennel is ready-trimmed) ½ red onion 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, plus an extra splash 75g stoned marinated black olives, quartered lengthways 3 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Rinse the fish fillets, pat dry with kitchen paper and check for small bones, removing any with kitchen tweezers. Score 4 or 5 shallow cuts on the skin side of each. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Segment one orange by slicing off the peel and pith, and cutting between the membranes to release the segments. Do this over a small pan to catch the juice. Put the segments into a small boilable plastic bag and seal. Squeeze the juice from the pithy membrane into the pan.

3. Grate the zest from the other two oranges into a bowl. Squeeze the juice and add to the pan. Let it bubble over a medium heat to reduce by two-thirds. Pour over the zest, cool and chill.

4. Chop a few of the fennel tops (or dill), saving the rest for garnish. Slice the fennel bulb and onion finely into ribbons, using a mandolin if possible. Immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water. Leave for 10 minutes until crisp.

5. To make the sauce, immerse the bag of orange segments in a small pan of boiling water to the count of ten. Place the bag on your worktop and gently press apart the segments with your fingers, making orange pearls. Add these to the reduced juice and zest with the wine vinegar, olive oil and half the chopped fennel tops (or dill). Mix gently.

6. Drain the fennel and onion slices, pat dry and place in a bowl. Set aside 12 olive pieces for garnish. Add the rest of the olives to the bowl with the remaining chopped fennel tops (or dill), a generous drizzle of olive oil, a splash of wine vinegar and a generous pinch of salt. Toss together.

7. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.

Pan-fry the fish fillets, skin side down first, for 1-2 minutes on each side until the edges are golden. Remove to a warm plate and season with salt.

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Drizzle orange sauce around each warm plate and place a bream fillet, skin side up, in the centre. Drizzle a little sauce over the fish. Pile the fennel salad on top and finish with the feathery fennel or dill. Scatter the reserved olive pieces around the plate and serve with the extra sauce on the side.

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Lemon Posset with Summer Berries and Spiced Shortbread SERVES 4-6 Lemon Posset 400ml double cream 100g caster sugar 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked and chopped grated zest and juice of 1 lemon Summer Berries 75g raspberries 75g blueberries 110g strawberries, halved (stalks intact) 1 tbsp icing sugar 1 tsp lemon juice

Spiced Shortbread 225g unsalted butter, cubed and softened, plus extra to grease the tin 250g plain flour 80g rice flour ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp ground star anise (or grated on a fine grater) ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 100g golden caster sugar Cinnamon Sugar Topping 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp golden caster sugar

1. To make the posset, put the cream, sugar and rosemary into a large saucepan over a low heat and slowly bring to the boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then take off the heat and allow to cool. Add the lemon zest and juice and whisk well. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.

2. For the shortbread, preheat the oven to 150 ºC/Gas 2. Grease a 23cm square baking tin with butter and line it with buttered greaseproof paper, allowing some overhang on opposite sides to act as handles.

3. Sift the flours, salt, star anise and cinnamon together into a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy.

Tip in the sugar and beat for 2 minutes on high speed until creamy. Add the creamed mixture to the flour and knead together by hand until uniform in texture. Press evenly into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 1 hour until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, for the topping, mix together the cinnamon and 1 tbsp sugar in a small bowl. Lift the shortbread out of the tin, using the paper handles, and place on a board. Cut it in half and then into fingers about 1.5cm wide. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and place on a baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake for another 10 minutes to dry out a bit more. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Store extra shortbread in an airtight container.

5. Toss all the berries together in a bowl with the icing sugar and lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve.

These recipes are from Gourmet Food for a Fiver by Jason Atherton, published in paperback by Quadrille Publishing at £14.99 and available from all good booksellers.

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Top each posset with an arrangement of berries.

Serve the shortbread and remaining berries on the side.

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Summer Sale at For Dales Life readers £10 off

If you have not been yet to your local salon we offer a wide range of beauty treatments with a great reputation. Treatments from non surgical face lifts, facials, massage, nails, eyelash extensions, threading, electrolysis, gel overlays, minx foil nail wraps, makeup and lots more...

We are proud to be regional winners for again and our team can share with you their knowledge of all our treatments and skin care just ring and let us help advise you.

Offer is subject to one per person and is off any single salon visit with treatments totaling the value of £55 or over, offer until end of Sept 2010.

Offer with Selected therapists please ask at time of booking and quote DL102 to receive money off.

BEDALE BEAUTY SALON First Floor, 19 North End, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 1AF Phone: 01677 426557 E-mail: salon@bedalebeauty.co.uk www.bedalebeauty.co.uk

OF LEYBURN

Milners Department Store is an established family business offering a personal service.

New for Autumn Jackpot • N.Y.D.J.Jeans Sea Salt • Kipling • Poppy Fossil bags • Intown • Viz-a-Viz Brandtex • Oscar B Jack Murphy Gents Section Wolsey • Gabbici • Peter Gribby Kartel • Hattric Opening times Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.15pm Sat 9.00am - 4.30pm

6 Market Place, Leyburn DL8 5BJ T: 01969 622208 E: sales@milnersofleyburn.co.uk W: www.milnersofleyburn.co.uk 54

Head over Heels 2 Railway Street, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5AY Tel: 01969 625234

Ladies Shoes Handbags Costume Jewellery Summer collections now in stock

MARCO TOZZI®

Open 10-5pm Monday to Saturday

Gatsby ’s hairdressing

FREYA ELLE MACPHERSON CALVIN KLEIN FANTASIE LEJABY TRIUMPH An exquisite collection of lingerie, swimwear & nightwear now available Buy online from www.victoriaslingerie.co.uk Free postage and packing 11 High Street, Leyburn Tel: 01969 622102

01677 426943 DISCOUNT WEDNESDAY • LOYALTY CARDS AVAILABLE Everyone welcome!

9a Market Place, Bedale 55

Beauty and the Beasts

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A wildlife garden doesn’t have to be an untamed wilderness, explains expert environmentalist Chris Baines

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WHEN I FIRST BEGAN CHAMPIONING THE IDEA OF GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE, more than a quarter of a century ago, many people assumed that I meant weeds and wild neglect. Nothing could be further from the truth. My decision to create a wildlife garden at Chelsea Flower Show in 1985, and again at Gardeners’ World Live a few years later, was intended to show that you could have a beautiful garden whilst also encouraging the birds, bees and butterflies.

Wildlife success in a garden has to begin at the bottom of the food chain. In simple terms, if a garden is rich in insect life then it will be sure to support the bigger, more charismatic creatures.

When it comes to garden flowers, this means making sure that they provide an abundance of pollen and nectar, and that between them they span as much of the year as possible. If some of them can also be allowed to die back naturally then they will provide a useful harvest of fruits and seeds at the end of the year.

From the very beginning I stressed the fact that some garden flowers are better than others when it comes to encouraging wildlife. One of my strongest memories of the public’s response to my Chelsea garden was the reaction to familiar flowers. People were clearly thrilled to discover that as well as looking attractive these blooms were making an extra contribution to their enjoyment of their gardens.

As a rule, single flowers tend to be much more productive than elaborate and highly selected double ones. Indeed many double-flowered cultivars are completely sterile, so whilst they may look wonderful they offer nothing but confusion to pollinating insects. By all means include double flowers in your garden — though I have to say I much prefer the simplicity of single blooms — but if you want to see an increase in pollinators then you must be sure to cater for them.

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Some are hardy enough to be grown from directly sown seeds. Californian poppy, candytuft, annual convolvulus and pot marigold are all particularly good for insects, and with our increasingly mild winters an autumn sowing and some regular deadheading will provide continuous displays from April through to late November. If you extend the range to halfhardy annuals that need protection from early frosts, then petunias and tobacco plants are both extremely successful insect attractors, with the latter having the added

advantage of an evening perfume that will lure night-flying moths.

Perfume is a common characteristic of flowers that are pollinated by flying insects, and many of the sweetest-smelling ones grow naturally in shady woodland, or they flower from dusk onwards. Honeysuckle is one of my favourites, but night-scented stocks are a quicker and cheaper way of adding evening scent. If you have room for something taller, evening primroses are hard to beat. They are biennials, so they flower from seed in their second season, but once you have them established they will colonise any open ground, the poorer the better. In my garden their sulphur-yellow flowers are a delight right through the summer, from July until November. The flowers open in sequence, with each new evening’s blooms fading away by the following lunchtime. On still evenings their perfume fills the garden. The scent attracts night-flying moths, which in turn provide food for my local bats. ŠJonathan Bucley

Colourful annual plants are a good place to begin. By definition, these are plants that have to attract pollinators if they are to produce the seeds they need to survive from one season to the next. In the British Isles we have beautiful flowering annuals such as the field poppy, the corncockle and the corn marigold, but in our gardens we can also use colourful annuals from the rest of the world.

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To gain the greatest wildlife benefit from the garden’s flowers I try to provide the longest possible season of nectar and pollen. The sequence can start as early as January, with grape hyacinths and crocuses sharing the limelight. A little later in the spring, primroses and wallflowers tend to dominate, and by May the list of flowers is beginning to lengthen. At the other end of the year, Michaelmas daisies are a must, and always seem to pull in any passing butterflies, whilst the final nectar boost of the year comes from the November flowers of ivy, whose shining droplets of sticky nectar give bees, wasps and butterflies an increased chance of survival through the cold winter months.

The list of insect friendly garden flowers is a long one, and it may seem a bit daunting.

However, there is a simple way to make sure your garden always has something in flower.

Visit your local garden centre month by month, look to see which particular plants the bees and butterflies are favouring, and add a specimen to your own collection. Within a year you will have made your garden very insect friendly. What is more, you will have a colourful display that you can enjoy the whole year round.

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64

Š Hugh Palmer

e Future’s Rosy Intimidated by the idea of growing roses?

Rebecca Pow used to be, but now she’s an enthusiastic convert.

FOR MANY YEARS I REFUSED TO GROW ROSES because I thought they were too much effort for too little reward. I had been so indoctrinated by the old school of gardeners that I simply couldn’t face it. According to them, rose growing involved an intensive workload, including a detailed programme of chemical spraying, deemed essential to repel the multitude of pests and diseases apparently desperate to ravage roses. What’s more, I wasn’t very fond of the popular Hybrid Teas that flowered once and seemed to spend the rest of the year as bare sticks.

In recent years I have had a change of heart, and for this I must thank David Austin, the king of English Rose breeding. I was captivated by the sight and scents of his heavenly roses at the Chelsea flower show, and realised it was time to welcome roses into my own garden.

The English Roses, as David Austin calls them, form a comparatively new group of roses that first came to prominence in the 1970s. They originated from crosses between certain Old Roses and Modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. Their great merit was that they combined the delicate charm and fragrance of the Old Roses with the wide colour range and repeat flowering of the Modern Roses.

In recent years David Austin has improved the health, disease-resistance and vigour of the English Roses, and many of his roses now combine pretty much everything you could want. It is possible to have flowers from June until the first frosts, and — even more of a bonus — these roses have a glorious fragrance.

English Roses are relatively simple to grow. Not only do they look great on their own, they are ideal for incorporating amongst other plants in the garden border. Surprisingly, many gardeners have been slow to use roses in this context, but their natural shrubby growth and bushy habit make them really useful here, and because they repeat-flower in flushes they provide colour and interest from now until around November when the first frosts take hold.

Even the tallest English Roses reach no more than 1.5 metres high, no larger than a Hybrid Tea Rose. With their gracefully arching habit — and no need for staking — they sit well at the back of a border, with smaller and more compact varieties fitting well at the front.

Their elegant, light, airy flowers, almost like layered tissue paper, really help fill in the spaces between other plants, and being available in so many shades you can compliment virtually any plant combination.

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If you have room, you will make the most impact by planting in groups of three or more, so that your roses form an eye-catching focus.

The most popular English Roses to use as shrubs include the following: the soft pink Eglantyne; Harlow Carr (named after the RHS garden here in Yorkshire), which is a tough, free-flowering variety with pure rose-pink flowers right down to its base; Falstaff with its dark, crimson flowers that turn to rich purple; and Munstead Wood, with brooding velvety-crimson colour that takes your breath away.

English Roses can also make excellent climbers, and this is the way I use many of them. They are vigorous without being too tall, and will quickly cover a trellis, wall or pergola.

They will thank you for an occasional soaking with water as they can get dry around the base.

Plant them about 30cm away from the structure 66

you want them to climb. The pure yellow Graham Thomas, voted the World’s Favourite Rose by the World Federation of Rose Societies last year, makes a delightful climber. So too do A Shropshire Lad and Crown Princess Margareta, with its large, neatly formed rosettes of apricot-orange.

English Roses aren’t just eye candy, they have a sensuous fragrance too. Amongst those with the most intense scents are Gertrude Jekyll, Jubilee Celebration, The Generous Gardener and Lady Emma Hamilton.

Every year David Austin introduces new roses, and there are six striking new varieties available this year. Cariad (which means ‘love’ in Welsh) is an English Musk Hybrid with a full-bodied, rose-pink flower that becomes less double as the season progresses. England’s Rose, has

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Š Hugh Palmer

deep, rose-pink clusters of flowers with a spicy fragrance; it is tough and reliable, and will flower continuously from June until October or November. Also benefitting from an extremely long flowering period is the deep pink Princess Anne, an exciting new development that may lead to a new group of English Roses. Looking slightly wilder is the soft pink Lady’s Blush, with its prominent yellow stamens. If you are tight for space, Maid Marion is a compact, double pink rose with a hint of myrrh in its fragrance that will grow well in a container. And well suited to the cool Yorkshire climate is David’s new white rose, Susan Williams-Ellis, which is something rather special, given that pure white roses are extremely difficult to breed.

For inspiration, why not visit some gardens where English Roses can be seen in all their glory? Wonderful examples on the doorstep include Castle Howard and the RHS garden at Harlow Carr. If you want to venture further afield, try Alnwick Garden in Northumberland.

Visit any of these rose heavens and I’ll wager you won’t be able to resist a rose revolution of your own!

For more information about David Austin roses visit www.davidaustinroses.com.

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Top tips for rosier roses Choose a good site for your rose, preferably one that is not shaded by trees and that gets at least 5 or 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Bare-root roses should be planted from November to April, but containerised plants can be planted all year round.

Roses are not too fussy about soil type but they do prefer a humus-rich soil, so mix in plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost to a depth of 50cm or so before planting, and use the same materials as mulch each spring. Use Start (a mix of mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria) when planting to encourage your plants to establish themselves rapidly.

Repeat-flowering roses are hungry feeders so apply fertiliser, preferably organic or organically based, in April and again in June. Pruning is really easy. Don’t worry too much about cutting to an outward-pointing bud or at an angle. Reducing the height by about half is a good general rule.

When the plant is a few years old, cut out some of the older shoots to encourage fresh new growth from the base.

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Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th July, 2010 from 9.30am 45TH ANNUAL RALLY

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Ben Potter's Falconry display, Sat only.

Fabulous Steam Engines and Fair Organs, & dancing show.

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Large Craft Marquee, Fairground rides, Stalls.

Rural Crafts. Something for everyone. A good day out.

CAMPING ON SITE & FREE CAR PARK

INFORMATION LINE: 01765 688381 www.mashamsteamrally.co.uk ADMISSION Adults £8.00 Senior citzens £6.00 Children 5-14 £2.00 Under 5 years FREE

Simon Crannage Summer Selection Lunches

Think “magical”,“fairytale”,“romance” - the Temple Folly is all this and more with its wonderful views across to Bolton Castle and Aysgarth in the heart of Wensleydale.

Accommodation at Temple Folly is offered to anyone looking for something different - the kind of place to escape to for a few days or more. www.templefolly.co.uk Tel: Temple Folly Reservations 01969 663096

The Wensleydale

A festival of seasonal ingredients

Lemon Sole & Walled Garden Feast (16 - 27th August) Venison & Early Autumn Vegetables (20 - 30th September) £24.50 per person

Agricultural Show Saturday 28th August 2010 The Showfield, Bellerby Road, Leyburn

A great family day out with entertainment for everyone Adults £7 • Children £4 • Under 5’s Free

(Sunday 12th September) Culinary Trail, Alfresco Kitchens and Cookery Demonstrations, Family Activities.

Day and Twilight Entry Tickets from £5

Tel: 01765 680900 www.swintonpark.com Masham, Ripon HG4 4JH 70

Family ticket £20 (2 adults and up to 3 children) Free Car Parking ~ Open from 10am

Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley Stunt Display, Poultry Classes (new for 2010) Cattle and Sheep Classes, Children’s Funfair, Carriage Driving, Leyburn Band, Pony Classes, Walling and Quoits competitions.

Around 100 Trade and Craft stands, plus much more…

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The Dales hard landscape specialists.

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

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

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OF LEYBURN

Milners Department Store is an established family business offering a personal service.

New soft furnishings department now open A wide range of carpets, curtains, window dressings and soft furnishings for the home.

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JOHN LORD 01748 811452 07961 460020 www.steamcleanseal.co.uk john@steamcleanseal.co.uk 72

Kitchings Furniture ONE OF NORTH YORKSHIRE'S FINEST FURNITURE SHOPS

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

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

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

5 Bridge Street, Bedale 73

Playing for

HiGH

An Early 3 inch Gauge Spirit-Fired Live Steam 2-2-0 Dribbler Locomotive

Tinplate toys can fetch a small fortune.

Tennants valuer Nick Lambert gives Ian Henry a potted history.

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STAKeS I MET UP WITH TENNANTS IN-HOUSE SPECIALIST NICK LAMBERT to learn more about the history of tinplate toys, and for an opportunity to handle some of the interesting examples coming under the hammer in the Toys, Models and Collectables sale at the firm’s Leyburn auction house on 21st August.

Tinplate toys were first made on a large scale by various manufacturers in Nuremberg from the 1860s onwards, and the Germans remained undisputed masters of the art until the First World War. The top names in German tinplate toy-making are Bing, Carette and Märklin. It was an early 1900s Märklin clockwork limousine car valued

by Nick that fetched a staggering £38,000 at Tennants last year.

Early tinplate toys were luxury items in their day, and this particular vehicle, Märklin’s largest model car at the time, would have cost most people several months’ wages.

With its smart black and brown paintwork, cast iron wheels, finely pierced radiator grille, white rubber tyres, glass windows, leather-covered seats and a wealth of fine detail there’s no doubting that it represents the cream of prewar toy-making.

A Fine Quality Märklin Clockwork Tinplate Limousine

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Although Märklin made a variety of vehicles, it specialised in model railways. And, turning our attention to items from the forthcoming sale, one of the oldest is a locomotive, albeit not a Märklin one. It’s a handsome green and black, 3-inch gauge, spirit-fired 2-2-0 ‘Ajax’ locomotive with brass wheels and pistons, from an unknown English maker. With the burner lit and a boiler full of water it would eventually produce enough steam to chug off on its travels.

Such locomotives quickly acquired the nickname of ‘Dribblers’ from their unappealing habit of leaving a trail of water behind them.

Due to their rather haphazard operation — explosions were not unknown — Dribblers were easily damaged and survivors in good condition are relatively rare. Nick has estimated this one at £300 to £500, but wouldn’t be surprised if it made closer to £1,000.

Undoubtedly much less dangerous to play with, albeit perhaps a little less exciting, is a black and chestnut chauffeur-driven clockwork limousine made in Germany

by Tipp & Co. It’s not quite such a top-of-the-range product as the Märklin car or the spirit-driven engine, and consequently has lower levels of detail and functionality, although it does boast battery-operated lights. Even so it’s the epitome of late 1920s and early 1930s motoring style, and carries an auction estimate of £200 to £300.

Anti-German sentiment was high between the two World Wars, and German-made toys were often re-branded for sale in the UK and elsewhere. American manufacturers of mechanical toys also began to catch up with the competition, and it is from the United States that the next item Nick and I discuss, the climbing fireman, hails. Clad in a cheerful blue and red uniform this tubular hero can still climb enthusiastically to the top of his ladder and, thanks to a couple of notches at the top, stop before falling off. It was made by Louis Marx & Company in the 1950s, and Nick has estimated it at £80 to £120.

A Marx Clockwork Tinplate Climbing Fireman 76

Dry Place On A Wet Day

A German Clockwork Tinplate Chauffeur-Driven Four-Seater Limousine

An English Clockwork Tinplate Police Patrol Rider

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Although high quality tinplate toys were still being made during this era, the emphasis was by now very much on mass market toys. A good example is an English clockwork police patrol motorcyclist from an unknown maker.

Thin and light, it has far too many sharp edges for modern tastes. Even so, this little period piece is expected to fetch a respectable £50 to £80.

Our final toy, also from the 1950s, is a much rarer one. It is a smart green and cream delivery lorry made by well-known English toy-maker Chad Valley as an advertising piece. Probably it was sold full of biscuits or sweets. What makes it especially appealling to the toy collector is that it is plastered with little square panels advertising games sold

by Chad Valley,

A Chad Valley Games Advertising Dennis Delivery Van

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including Lotto, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Building Cubes, Halma and Mosaic. It is in very good condition, and Nick has put an estimate of £300 to £500 on it.

In the 1960s, of course, these traditional tinplate toys would be swept away by a tide of futuristic Japanese tinplate robots, now very popular collectors items in their own right.

Following hot on the heels of the robots, cheaper plastics would bring a whole new generation of toys to Britain’s children — but that’s another story.

For details of forthcoming sales at Tennants, including August’s Toys, Models and Collectables sale, visit www.tennants.co.uk.

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Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual Michael Pollan There are plenty of expensive books purporting to teach you how to eat healthily. They range from dry-as-dust tracts to ill-informed speculations by wannabe celebrities. This charming little book, in contrast, costs less than a fiver and tells you, in plain language, all you need to know. Award-winning journalist Michael Pollan is well versed in nutritional science, but he doesn’t blind readers with it. Instead he explains — elegantly and amusingly — some commonsense rules that will keep you slim and healthy with the minimum of effort. Essentially it’s an easygoing summary of the conclusions from his earlier books, notably In Defence of Food, hence perfect for anyone who wants sound dietary advice without the bother of mugging up on the background research. And with rules that include “have a glass of wine with dinner” and “break the rules once in a while” it all sounds eminently achievable.

Book

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

Penguin, paperback, £4.99

Bugs Britannica

The Virgin Gardener Laetitia Maklouf

Peter Marren & Richard Mabey Bugs Britannica is the third in a series of magnificently illustrated books about British wildlife, the first two being Flora Britannica and Birds Britannica. Whilst flowers and birds are, with a few exceptions, cheery and decorative, bugs make for a more mixed experience. On the one hand we have the alien beauty of vibrantly coloured butterflies and shiny metallic dragonflies.

On the other hand we have spiders, ticks, fleas, mosquitos and lice — nasty, but strangely fascinating even so. Like the previous volumes in the set, Bugs Britannica is full of surprising snippets of information and makes compelling browsing. If you want to know why snail slime is good for your complexion, how to use a cricket as a thermometer, where to find a sculpture of a midge, or which seafood is most likely to give you food poisoning, then look no further. A must for all nature lovers.

As gardening books go, this is a very girly one. If you’re a girl, of course, that may not necessarily be a disadvantage. Providing you can tolerate the superficial ditziness mainly in the form of photos of the author applying lipstick and prancing down the backstreets brandishing dried flower-heads you’ll find plenty of sterling material in here. What’s refreshing is that it takes gardening out of the hands of earnest old codgers competing over the size of their marrows and presents it as a breezy activity that people below the age of retirement might plausibly enjoy. Projects range from the floral and decorative (growing cup-andsaucer vine; forcing daffodils for Christmas) to the culinary and the self-indulgent (cultivating blueberries; pickling your own onions; making rose geranium punch). The book is subtitled “inspiration for the first-time gardener” and as long the firsttime gardener in question is a female one, it fits that brief nicely.

Chatto & Windus, hardback, £35

Bloomsbury, paperback, £14.99 81

The Story of Science Michael Mosley & John Lynch Today’s scientists, in their neat clean laboratories, have an easy life compared to their some of their predecessors. Hennig Brand spent the year 1695 in dangerous and unpleasant conditions, laboriously distilling 5,000 litres of urine in search of alchemical gold; instead he accidentally discovered phosphorus. Ignaz Semmelweis solved the mystery of ‘childbed fever’, but his medical colleagues laughed at the idea that they should wash their hands before conducting surgical operations Semmelweis took to drink and ended up in a padded cell. And ‘Strata’ Smith, an early pioneer of the study of fossils, had his work stolen and spent years in a debtors’ jail. These are just three of the characters whose achievements are discussed in this entertaining, lavishly illustrated companion to the BBC TV series.

It’s arranged in short sections, ideal for dipping into. The text is authoritative but not overcomplicated, making it equally suitable for adults or any aspiring teenage Einsteins.

Mitchell Beazley, hardback, £20

Jelly with Bompas & Parr The Lie of the Land Ian Vince Subtitled “An Under-the-Field Guide to the British Isles”, this good-humoured, eminently readable little book is intended to enthuse readers about Britain’s unusually rich and varied geology. It does that job remarkably well, evoking the special magic of unique landscapes that urban sprawl and mass tourism haven’t yet spoiled. It certainly made me want to jump into the car and go see for myself some of the places it so vividly describes. Sadly, it doesn’t have an index or any photographs, though fortunately you can find a good selection of pictures at the author’s website, www.britishlandscape.org. While you’re there, check out the splendid Lay-by of the Week series (click on the tag ‘ lay-by’ to see all entries to date). You’ll be impressed at how much of Britain’s geology and scenery you can enjoy just by pulling over at the right spot.

Boxtree, hardback, £14.99 82

I wouldn’t normally describe recipe books as daft, but this one really is daft — in the best possible way. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr are two bright young sparks keen to blur the boundaries between food and installation art. The book starts off levelheadedly enough, with a brief history of jelly, technical tips and recipes for straightforward, conventional fruit jellies.

As it progresses, though, we move through striped jellies, marbled jellies, mosaic jellies, alcoholic jellies and jellied cocktails into jellies of inspired eccentricity, such as Christmas pudding jelly, bacon cola jelly and glow-in-the-dark jelly. There’s even a funeral jelly, which is a sinister ebony pyramid, flavoured with black cherry and topped with gold leaf. Serious-minded cooks of the Church of Delia may find it all a bit too left-field. For the rest of us it’s a welcome reminder that food can be — and should be — fun.

Pavilion, hardback, £14.99

Look out on the brighter side of life…

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

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• Childrens furniture and accessories • Hand finished wooden letters, personalised gifts and storageboxes • Traditional wooden toys & Charlie bears • Childrens & Babies clothing, nightwear & shoes by Hatley, Powell Craft, Padraigs, Inch Blue & Daisy Roots • Greengateand Susie Watson Stockist

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Sanderson & Co Interior decorating suppliers A wide range of wallpapers, traditional and modern, including: Crowson Shand Kidd Linda Barker Graham & Brown Over 100 wallpaper books in stock with next day delivery Paints by Crown and Dulux Farrow & Ball also available Paint colours mixed while you wait High Street, Leyburn Tel: 01969 623143 84

Beauty Sue Gillman tests the CACI Ultimate Anti-Ageing treatment at A Vita Medi-Spa in Yarm

SPoT

eauty fads come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the CACI non-surgical facelift is one of the few treatments to have stood the test of time.

B

CACI stands for ‘Computer-aided Cosmetology Instrument’, just in case you were wondering. It made its debut twenty years ago and produces immediate and dramatic results, even after just one session — or so it is claimed. Recently CACI launched a new treatment, the ‘CACI Ultimate’. The only salon offering this treatment within a 40-mile radius of the Dales Life office is A Vita Medi-Spa in Yarm, so I decided to book in to A Vita to try it out for myself.

A Vita is slap bang in the middle of Yarm High Street. Walk into reception and it strikes you as a light, bright, airy, contemporary salon. But by the time I reached the sumptuously decorated treatment rooms — by way of a spiral staircase, at the top of which was an impressive cascading water feature — the mood had shifted.

With their stripped wood floors and rich aubergine and plum colour scheme, the treatment rooms

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create such a compelling sense of peace and relaxation that it’s hard to believe you are just yards from the hustle and bustle of a busy shopping street.

My therapist, Deborah, explained the treatment to me. It would begin with a new technique called ‘Orbital Microdermabrasion’.

This immediately sent me into a bit of a panic; dermabrasion can be harsh on the skin, and mine is especially sensitive. Deborah assured me, though, that the CACI system is suitable for even the most delicate of skins.

The orbital dermabrasion is done with a kind of vibrating wand that also emits different kinds of LED light: blue to calm irritated skin, red for anti-ageing, or a combination of the two for the best of both worlds. Deborah recommended the mixture, based on her initial assessment of my skin. She used the wand to massage my face for about 20 minutes, and apart from the slightly strange vibrating sensation, it was very relaxing.

The next phase, ‘Microcurrent Toning’, involves using tiny pulses of electric current to (as CACI promotional materials explain it) “tone, lift and re-educate the muscles back to their original position”. Deborah applied two sets of double-pronged, bud-tipped probes in a lifting and pushing motion to various points: chin, cheeks, eyebrows and hairline. Apart from the actual feeling of the probes moving against my skin, I can’t say that I actually felt anything. ‘Re-education’ isn’t as painful a process as it sounds.

Next came the ‘Wrinkle Comb’, a gadget that combines high frequency electrical stimulation with further LED light treatment.

It is designed to plump out the skin and soften deep lines and blemishes. The device is moved slowly and smoothly over the areas of the face with the deepest wrinkles, concentrating on the mouth area, the area around the eyes and the frown lines. All very soothing, I must say.

But it was the final stage of the treatment, the Hydratone phase, that I especially loved. It involved applying a two-part hydrating gel mask to my face. The gel is packed full of all sorts of goodies, including collagen, 86

hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E. Deborah then used microcurrent-generating rollers on the mask to encourage the active ingredients in the gel to infuse into my skin. It felt fantastic!

The series of treatments took about an hour and a half to complete, and I found it so relaxing that in the end I almost fell asleep.

Very enjoyable, then — but what about the results?

I had been worried that these high-tech machines would make my skin irritated, but if anything the treatment calmed it down. Yes, I saw an immediate difference afterwards, but then that’s only to be expected after any good facial.

The big surprise came two or three days later.

Before the treatment I had been suffering from a rash around my nose and mouth. Not only was my skin looking altogether fresher, but every single blemish had disappeared. I was genuinely impressed.

A course of ten sessions of the CACI Ultimate treatment is recommended for best results. At A Vita, a session costs £75, or you can have ten sessions for the price of nine, that’s to say £675. Not exactly cheap, but then — unlike so many other beauty treatments that have fallen by the wayside — it actually works.

A Vita Medi-Spa is at 22 High Street, Yarm, TS15 9AH. For more information on CACI Ultimate treatments call A Vita on 01642 782221 or visit www.avitayarm.co.uk.

£20 Cut&Finish AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD WITH SELECTED STYLISTS ON SELECTED DAYS SEE IN SALON FOR DETAILS

10 THIRSK ROAD NORTHALLERTON T 01609 771 477 ACTIVE LIFE HEALTH CLUB SCOTCH CORNER T 01748 850 101 Terms and conditions: Mention offer at time of booking and bring with you to redeem at the Saks salons above, available until 31st August 2010. Cannot be used with any other offer on homecare or exchanged for cash.

One offer per client. No photocopies.

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88

Stepping out In the first of a series of guided walks in the Dales, Rodger Matthews explores the River Wharfe from Bolton Abbey to Barden Tower.

This walk enables you to experience the rich history of the Bolton Abbey Estate and the changing moods of the River Wharfe as it thunders through The Strid before opening out into a more languid, peaceful setting that is ideal for picnics. It makes a great excursion for all the family, with lots to see and plenty of opportunities to shorten the walk at a choice of points along the way.

What’s Special Bolton Abbey is set in magnificent countryside overlooking the River Wharfe.

Before embarking on the walk, allow time to look at the Augustinian priory (The Abbey) and its nave, which is still in use today as the Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert.

Building started in the 12th century, and was still being carried out until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.

The tranquility and beauty of the area, full of history and legend, were a source of inspiration to William Wordsworth as the setting for his poem The White Doe of Rylstone. Surrounded by acres of wellmaintained estate, it offers an attractive mix of moorland, woodland and riverside scenery.

This varied environment is home to many woodland birds, animals and insects. If you are lucky you might see or hear red grouse, skylarks and short-eared owls. Keep an eye open for emperor moths and adders too.

Walk Data Difficulty:

moderate

Distance:

7.2 miles

Time:

allow 3 hours

Start:

Bolton Abbey car park

Getting there: Bolton Abbey is located on the B6160, just off the A59 between Skipton and Harrogate Map:

A map is not necessary for this walk, but those who prefer to follow one should use the OS Explorer map (Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western Areas, GR SE071539) or visit the Bolton Abbey Estate Website, www.boltonabbey.com

Refreshments: The award-winning Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel (www.devonshirearmshotel. co.uk), a brasserie, tearooms, cafes and refreshment kiosks are all to be found nearby — see www.boltonabbey.com for further details

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e Walk 1. At the top of Bolton Abbey car park turn right by the shop. Walk past the village green, across the road and through the hole in the wall.

2. Follow the path past the Priory to the river, and cross the footbridge next to the stepping stones.

3. Turn left and follow the riverside path across the meadow, or for views of the Priory follow the path uphill and into the woodland. The two paths meet after a while.

4. Bear left down the road. Cross the stream by the bridge to the right of the road.

Follow the path by the stream. Go through the gate into the field, with the river on your left.

5. Cross the river at the Cavendish Pavilion.

6. After passing the Pavilion, go through the gate and continue forward to the wood, following the sign for the ‘Strid Nature Trails’. Dogs should be put on leads at this point.

90

7. Pass through the wooden gate and follow the green trail. For a closer view of the river you can turn right and follow the purple trail, which later rejoins the green trail (follow the coloured arrows). Here there are excellent views of the river, and in early summer the air is filled with the smell of wild garlic.

8. At the top, turn right to rejoin the wide green path. The path undulates, passing stone seats and twisted tree trunks decorated with coins. Take the opportunity to make the short diversion to look at The Strid, the narrow and dangerous cleft where the broad River Wharfe suddenly becomes very narrow and the water rushes through with great force, so named because it is said to be a stride wide. It was formed by the wearing-away of softer rock due to the circular motion of small stones in hollows, forming a series of potholes that in time linked to form a deep, waterfilled chasm. The chasm has claimed the lives of several people who have tried to jump across it. Return to the path and follow the route off to the left and uphill,

signposted ‘Barden’. Pass the shelter and follow the green arrow signs, staying to the right of the wall. Keep straight, ignoring the left fork.

9. Continue forward along the undulating path and cross the footbridge to arrive in open countryside. Carry on to Barden Bridge, passing under Barden Aqueduct (which you can cross to make your walk shorter), and climb the steps. Before continuing on the walk you might want to take a short diversion by walking left to Barden Tower. The tower was originally one of six hunting lodges within the forest of Barden. In the late 15th century, Henry Clifford, known as the Shepherd Lord, rebuilt the hunting lodge at Barden in stone and made it his principal home.

10. Retrace your steps to Barden Bridge, cross it, and turn right as marked to continue downstream along the other bank of the river. The path is well defined along the riverside, with a short diversion up onto the road to cross a stream.

11. Follow the orange trail back into the wood to enjoy high views of The Strid below.

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12. At the wooden footbridge leading across to the Cavendish Pavilion continue forward through the kissing gate. Pass through a second gate onto the gravelled path and either cross the ford or the nearby footbridge. Follow the path to the right before turning right along the gravelled path back to Bolton Priory.

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25th MASHAM

SHEEP FAIR 25th & 26th September 2010 During the weekend from 10.00 am SHEEP SHOW • SHEEPDOG DEMONSTRATIONS • SHEEP RACING SPINNING & WEAVING DEMONSTRATIONS OLD TIME CHILDREN'S FAIR • CRAFT MARKET AND FLEECE STALLS MORRIS DANCERS • HANDBELL RINGERS • TOURS AROUND T&R THEAKSTON AND BLACK SHEEP BREWERIES • HARVEST FLOWER FESTIVAL • BISHOP BLAIZE PROCESSION & BANDS • HANDSPUN WOOL COMPETITION Further details and entry forms are available from MRS SUSAN CUNLIFFE-LISTER, High House, Swinton, Ripon HG4 4JH Tel: 01765 688417 or susan@burtonagnes.com or at Broadley's Insurance Office, Market Place, Masham

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO YORKSHIRE CHARITIES

94

Discover the story of the people and landscape of the Yorkshire Dales Station Yard, Hawes Open daily 10am-5pm Free for children www.yorkshiredales.org.uk 01969 666210

2 1

for ~entry~

READER OFFER with this ad

Bolton Castle ● ● ● ● ●

Wedding ceremonies & receptions Private parties, dinners & lunches Educational days for schools Gardens, vineyard and maze Free admission to Tea Room, Deli and Gift Shop

ADMISSION Adults: £6.50 Concessions: £5 (OAP’s, Students & Children and includes loan of medieval costume for children)

Family Ticket: £20 (2 adults & 3 concessions, must include at least 1 child and includes loan of medieval costume for children) Group discounts and guided tours available by prior arrangement

OPENING TIMES 2010 Open 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday, from 27th March until 31st October. Also open on Bank and School Holiday Mondays (except 2nd August). Castle will close at 1.30 pm in 2010 on: 10 April, 05 &19 June, 03, 10, 17, 24 & 31 July, 28 Aug, 04 &11 Sept, 02 Oct.

Bolton Castle Nr Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 4ET t: 01969 623981 e: info@boltoncastle.co.uk w: www.boltoncastle.co.uk

Please call or see our website for winter opening times.

A range of exciting new opportunities are available for volunteers

95

60th Anniversary

Garden Party

Join us celebrating the 60th anniversary of Harlow Carr at our summer garden parties with entertainment and live music. Bring a picnic and watch the sun set over these beautiful surroundings.

Last entry 7pm, garden closes at 9pm.

Normal admission applies. *23rd JULY RHS MEMBERS ONLY EVENING.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate HG3 1QB Tel: 01423 565418 www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr

NEWBY OFFERS YOU ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OUT IN YORKSHIRE!

DLSM’10

RHS Registered Charity No: 222879/SC038262

9th & 10th, 16th & 17th, 23rd* & 24th JULY

Newby Hall & Gardens

1ST JUNE - 26TH SEPT

Contemporary Sculpture Park

Featuring 60 contemporary sculptures displayed in the gardens and along a woodland river walk.

24TH & 25TH AUGUST 2010

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre presents 'The Comedy of Errors'

After last years amazing 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' we are delighted to announce that the Shakepeare's Globe will be returning.

13TH & 14TH SEPTEMBER

Sarah Raven Study Days

Sarah Raven, the famous gardening writer, broadcaster and teacher is returning to Newby Hall near Ripon for two inspirational study days, for both beginners and experienced gardeners alike - book early to avoid disappointment.

96

Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AE Information Hotline: 0845 4504068 www.newbyhall.com

OPEN: 1st April - 26th Sept 2010 Tuesdays to Sundays, plus bank holidays. Open seven days in July and August Gardens open: 11am - 5.30pm House open for tours only: 12noon - 4pm

“Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year”

RipleyCastle

Welcome to Yorkshire - White Rose Awards

The Splendour of a castle the warmth of a family home

Fun for all the family this Summer Katherine Jenkins Live in Concert - 24th July Classic Car Rally - 1st August The Ripley Falconry Experience with Ben Potter 30th August

SPECIAL TOURS OF THE CASTLE FOR CHILDEN Daily 24th July to 31st August Fascinating castle, beautiful gardens, children’s play trail, deer park, lakes, tea rooms, wonderful shops, ample free parking, superb facilities.

A FASCINATING PLACE TO VISIT

summer time

Ripley Castle, Harrogate, HG3 3AY tel: 01423 770152 email: enquiries@ripleycastle.co.uk www.ripleycastle.co.uk

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, Ripon Open Air Theatre Bring a picnic and enjoy an evening of open air theatre in the tranquil 12th century abbey ruins.

The Tempest Saturday 10 July, 7pm The Secret Garden Wednesday 28 July, 6.30pm Pride and Prejudice Saturday 14 August, 7pm

Book now on: 0844 249 1895 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events

Time well spent Registered charity No. 205846.

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Lightwater Valley Theme Park

Action packed value for all the family!

You simply won’t believe how much fun you can have at Lightwater Valley until you come and experience it for yourself! From jaw dropping big thrill rides to mini adventures for the junior thrill seekers – it’s fantastic fun the whole family can enjoy.

lightwatervalley.co.uk The most fun you can have in a day Save up to £33 with this voucher.

6 people

to enter Lightwater Valley for only

2 GREAT NEW RIDES FOR 2010 See website for details

£13.95

Valid until 31.10.10. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. No photocopies allowed.

per person

✂

DL03

This voucher entitles up to

Lightwater Valley, North Stainley, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3HT. Tel: 0871 720 0011*

*Calls are charged at 10 pence per minute from a BT landline, calls from other networks and mobiles will be considerably more.

Providers of private instruction and guiding for Hillwalking skills, Paddle Sport and Nordic Walking. www.rivermountainexperience.com Tel: 01677 426112 Enjoy a day out in and around the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. From guided walks, navigation classes and canoe training to our paddle & picnic.

Come and explore with us.

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

Kiplin Hall

Jacobean Country House Now furnished as a charming Victorian home packed with family memorabilia

Hall, Topiary and Rose Gardens, Informal Gardens, Woodland and Lakeside Walks, Tea Room and Gift Shop

Opening times for 2010 Open everyday from 1st April - 31st October then Sundays until Christmas Monday - Saturday 12 noon until 6pm Sundays and bank holidays 10am - 6pm

Open: Sun. – Wed. 2 – 5pm from Easter – 30 Sept.

Admission: Adult £6, Conc. £5, Child £3 Gardens & Grounds only Adult £3, Child £1

Holiday accommodation now available.

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

Kiplin Hall nr. Scorton, Richmond, DL10 6AT

Admission is by pre-booked tickets only To reserve your ticket please telephone 01969 640638 / 01969 640687

(off the B6271) Full list of events and more details phone 01748 818178

www.kiplinhall.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you 99

Country Diary Antiques & Fine Art Sales…

Tennants Auctioneers Leyburn The Auction Centre, Leyburn For more information telephone: 01969 623780 www.tennants.co.uk

22-24 July 10am Summer Catalogue Sale

31 July 9.30am Antique & Home Furnishing Sale

14 August The Ryden Sale – Part II (including other properties)

21 August 9.30am Antique & Home Furnishing Sale Including Toys, Models & Collectables

27 August 9.30am Antique & Home Furnishing Sale

A “Filigree” Love Seat designed circa 1970’s £2,000 – 3,000 (Summer Catalogue Sale 22 – 24 July) 100

The Harrogate Antique and Fine Art Fair Harrogate International Centre - Hall M For further information telephone: 01823 323363 www.harrogateantiquefair.com

1-5

October

Friday 1st Saturday 2nd Sunday 3rd Monday 4th Tuesday 5th

2pm - 9pm 11am - 6pm 11am - 6pm 11am - 8pm 1am - 5pm

Now in its eleventh year, The Harrogate Antique Fair is firmly established as a major event in the antique world. Once again specialist dealers will be exhibiting a fabulous array of antiques and fine art.

As always the aim is to create a friendly and informative experience for exhibitors and visitors — a unique forum where like-minded people can discuss and purchase fine art and antiques.

Northern dealers exhibiting include the early oak dealer Elaine Phillips from Harrogate; Walker Galleries, who will be showing a range of 19th century art, and specialise in Yorkshire artists; and Graham Saville from Hebden Bridge, showing early English caricatures. Other dealers returning this year include Howards Jewellers from Stratford-uponAvon; Mary Cooke with fine silver; and Garret & Hurst of Sussex, who specialise in 19th century sculpture.

Maurice Dear will be bringing early British watercolours, and Willow Gallery return with their 19th and early-20th century English and European oil paintings. A full list of exhibitors can be found on the website.

A Gala Charity Reception, raising money for Acorn, will be held on Friday October 1st from 6.30pm to 9.00pm. There will also be a talk on Monday 4th October by Nicholas Merchant entitled ‘The Hidden Treasures of Venice’.

Loetz vase with domed footed base rising to a swollen sleeve body and flared rim twin scrolled handles, Papillon decor with iridescent mottling over a graduated cobalt blue to amber c 1895

Country Diary 101

Events Ripley Castle near Harrogate For more information telephone: 01423 770152 www.ripleycastle.co.uk

24 July A Summer Evening Concert with Katherine Jenkins For bookings telephone: 0871 231 0840

24 July – 31 August 10.30am & 1.30pm Amusing and informative tours of the castle, which is steeped in 700 years of fascinating history, specifically for children. Why not try on armour from the times of the War of the Roses? Normal admission charges apply.

1 August 10am to 4pm Yorkshire Classic Car and Bike plus 4x4 Show The Classic Car Rally takes place on the show field with over 400 classic cars and bikes expected plus 4x4’s. Admission is £6 per adult and £3.50 for under 14’s (includes entry to the Castle Gardens).

30 August 9am to 4pm The Ripley Falconry Experience Come and watch Ben Potter’s amazing Birds of Prey Displays in the grounds as he shows eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and vultures in the most natural display of its kind. Static displays all day with flying displays at various times. Normal admission charges apply.

Katherine Jenkins

Join us in our beautiful grounds for ‘A Summers Evening’ with Katherine Jenkins and The National Symphony Orchestra. The stunning castle will provide the perfect back drop to a very special concert of music, song and entertainment with a fabulous firework finale reflected in the magnificent lake. Come and be part of the 6,000 strong audience and take part in the atmosphere.

Bring a rug and choose either your own picnic or enjoy some of the wonderful local Yorkshire produce in the natural amphitheatre.

Tickets are priced at £37.50 + booking fee.

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Ripley Castle

Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal near Ripon For more information telephone: 01765 608888 www.fountainsabbey.org.uk

28 July 6.30pm Open Air Theatre - The Secret Garden Bring a picnic and chairs and enjoy the children’s classic story of a secret garden. An evening of open air theatre in the Abbey ruins. Booking essential, £12 adult, £10 child. Telephone 0844 249 1895 or book online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events

31 July 10am - 5pm Get Medieval Join the costume re-enactors around their medieval encampment. Watch and take part in activities and demonstrations based on 15th century life.

7-8

August 10.30am - 4.30pm

Bees at Fountains!

Come along and meet the experts to find out more about bees and beekeeping.

14 August 7pm Open Air Theatre – Pride and Prejudice Enjoy the Jane Austen favourite in the Abbey ruins.

Booking essential, £15 adult, £12 child.

Telephone 0844 249 1895 or book online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events

21-28 August 10am - 5pm Art Exhibition – Paintings by Alan Denyer Local artist Alan Denyer hosts an exhibition of his recent works in oils, watercolour and pastel.

27 August 2pm Teddy Bear’s Picnic Bring your Teddy Bear for a picnic and story-telling at Swanley Grange. Suitable for 4 – 9 year olds. £1.50 plus normal commission.

Booking essential, telephone 01765 643166 103

Events Newby Hall near Ripon For more information telephone: 08454 504068 www.newbyhall.com

July to September Matombo Zimbabwean Sculpture Exhibition Newby Hall has become known as one of Yorkshire’s leading art venues, exhibiting thought provoking collections. Matombo is Zimbabwean art which is reflective of a completely different style and origin.

Made from various types of Zimbabwean stone; there are over a hundred pieces on display ranging from all sizes which are surprisingly affordable!

Normal admission prices apply.

for two inspirational study days, suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

Attendees will be able to ask Sarah questions and buy seeds, bulbs, tools, books and other equipment from her exclusive range. Each one-day course costs £90 and includes a light lunch with a glass of wine as well as free admission to the award winning gardens. Two-day discount priced at £170. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Telephone 01423 322 583

18 July 10.30am - 5pm Historic Vehicle Rally The North East Club for Pre-war Austin’s assembles over 1,000 vintage cars of all kinds. A must see for all vintage car lovers. Normal admission prices apply.

24-25 August 7pm Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre presents The Comedy of Errors The world renowned Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will be bringing the excitement and vibrancy of Elizabethan theatre to Newby’s gardens. Tickets are now available and priced at £15 per adult and £10 concession (under 16s and OAPS). Booking for ten or more will guarantee one free ticket.

Tickets can be paid for by telephone between 11am and 5pm, Tuesday – Sunday, or by sending a cheque to: The Comedy of Errors, The Estate Office, Newby Hall and Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AE. This is an outdoor event so please feel free to bring a blanket or a small fold up camping chair for comfort.

13-14 September 10.30am - 4.30pm Sarah Raven Study Days Sarah Raven, the famous gardening writer, broadcaster and teacher is returning to Newby Hall 104

Newby Hall

Wensleydale Agricultural Show Leyburn For more information telephone: 01677 424642 www.wensleydaleshow.org.uk

28 August 11am - 4pm The 96th Wensleydale Agricultural Show is to feature for the first time since 1963, over 60 poultry classes ranging from large fowls to true bantams and an egg section. Over 100 stands licensed facilities and an all day restaurant. In addition, there are cattle, sheep, heavy horse, horticultural, home craft sections and a flower and vegetable show. The vintage section will include tractors, cars and steam traction engines.

With a full programme of events, top billing is the Steve 'Showtime' Colley stunt display.

For further information please visit www.wensleydaleshow.org.uk

Kiplin Hall near Richmond

Bolton Castle near Leyburn

For more information telephone: 01748 818178 www.kiplinhall.co.uk

For more information telephone: 01969 623981 www.boltoncastle.co.uk

5 August 11am - 4pm Giants, Dragons and Fairies Dress up and enjoy the fun. Treasure trails, stories and activities for children in the gardens and hall.

Drop in any time – no booking required. £3.50 per adult or child.

4-6

August 10am - 4pm

Marvellous Middle Ages!

Discover what people did for fun in the Middle Ages.

Dress up in authentic costume and have a go at our medieval crafts, children’s toys and games.

Children’s Crafts £1. Normal admission rates apply.

15 August 2am - 5pm The Path to Paradise Walk a grass cut Labyrinth in the beautiful historical setting of 17th century Kiplin Hall. Shakespearian sonnets and the poetry of Donne, Marvel and Jonson and 17th century music played by costumed guides from the North County Theatre. Experience the strange mix of mystery and delight conjured by this simple ritual. Admission included in entry to the Hall and grounds. Adult £6, Concession £5.

Grounds only - Adult £3, Child £1.

16-18 August The Path to Paradise Continues Walk the Labyrinth. Included in entry to the Hall and grounds, see above.

Bolton Castle

7-8

August 10am - 5pm

Tournee!

A medieval tournament featuring single combat displays and full battle re-enactment. Normal admission rates apply.

21-22 August 10am - 5pm Spanish Armada Weekend

Kiplin Hall

Meet characters from the castle’s household and garrison as they prepare for battle, put on your armour to take part in a spear drill and witness the cannon fire. You can also discover more about 16th century weaponry, herbal medicine and cookery.

Normal admission rates apply.

105

Events Dales Countryside Museum Hawes For more information telephone: 01969 666210 www.yorkshiredales.org

21 July 12.30pm - 1.30pm Red Squirrel Conservation in the National Park This is a lunchtime lecture concerning the native red squirrel, the changes to their habitat, competition from greys and future conservation. A free event.

Swinton Park near Masham For more information telephone: 01765 680900 www.swintonpark.com

12, 19, 26, 27 July 16, 17, 23, 24 August Garden Lunch Join celebrated garden designer Susan CunliffeLister for a talk, tour of Swinton Park’s four acre walled garden and lunch. £35 per person.

16 & 30 July 27 August Garden Design Day An in depth day of talks and tours of the gardens and grounds at Swinton Park – focusing on the history, design and restoration of the parkland, as well as Susan Cunliffe-Lister’s designs for the walled gardens at Burton Agnes and Swinton Park. £75 per person, including lunch.

Red squirrel

28 July 2pm - 4pm Discover & Do: Plant your own Mini Haymeadow Discover unusual and interesting facts about Dales hay meadow flowers and find out why they are so good for wildlife, plus the chance to make your very own mini-meadow or wildlife garden. Part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival. A fun and very practical activity for 8 to 12 year olds. Children £3, parents/carers free, booking advisable

14-15 August

12 August 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Children’s Activity Days

Woodland Birds of the Yorkshire Dales

Spend a day in the parkland, with outdoor activities for children including treasure hunts, trips to see the deer, face painting, bouncy castle, animal corner and pony rides. £5 per child. Free tea and coffee for adults. Please bring your own picnics.

One of a series of lunchtime lectures exploring the wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales. Free with Museum entry ticket

25 August 2pm - 4pm Discover and Do: Seed Detectives Discover, collect and learn all about the various types of seeds you can find in the Museum garden. Make your very own seed packets with instructions for sowing and take them away ready for next year’s planting. Part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival.

Children £3, parents/carers free, booking advisable.

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Swinton Park

12 September Alfresco Food Festival A food festival for all the family with a culinary trail, alfresco kitchens, children’s activities, guided tours, artists in residence, live music, cookery demonstrations and hands-on experiences.

Day and Twilight tickets from £5.

Masham Steam Fair For more information telephone: 01765 688381 www.mashamsteamrally.co.uk

17-18 July from 9.30am The 45th Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally welcome Jason Smythe, the UK’s leading quad bike and motorbike stunt rider. With Ben Potter’s falconry display, vintage agricultural and historical vehicles, a large craft marquee and fairground rides, the rally has something for everyone and is a great family day out.

Camping on site and free car park from 9.30am Admission: Adults £8; Senior Citizens £6; Children 5 - 14 £2; under 5 years free.

Masham Sheep Fair For more information telephone: 01765 688417 e-mail susan@burtonagnes.com

25-26 September from 10am This year is the 25th Masham Sheep Fair. Events will include a sheep show, sheepdog demonstrations, sheep racing, spinning and weaving demonstrations, craft and market fleece stalls and much more.

Boots & Beer Festival

Boots and Beer Festival Masham For more information telephone: 01765 689227 www.blacksheepbrewery.co.uk

10-12 September The boots are back on for Black Sheep Brewery's ninth annual Boots and Beer Walking Festival, which takes place this year between 10th and 12th September. Featuring a jam packed programme of evening entertainment including, jazz, ceildh, race night and new for this year the Black Sheep Ho down. The festival encourages walkers from around the UK to join Black Sheep in enjoying the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, and of course their award winning ales. The ticket price for this year's festival is £25.00 per person and includes a choice of 14 superb walks over the weekend, specially written by Mark Reid

Masham Sheep Fair

Tickets can be booked by contacting Ashleigh Robson on 01765 689227 or email; ashleigh.robson@blacksheep.co.uk 107

Events Harlow Carr Harrogate For more information telephone: 01423 724680 www.rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr

14 July Sweet Pea Day Harlow Carr will be growing 30 different varieties of sweet pea in a demonstration bed. Members of the National Sweet Pea Society will be available to advise visitors on a whole range of methods to ensure a bumper crop of sweet peas this summer.

10, 16, 17, 23, 24 July 60th Anniversary Summer Garden Party Join us in celebrating our 60th anniversary of Harlow Carr during these summer days. The garden will be open with entertainment in the evenings; bring a picnic and watch the sun set over the beautiful surroundings. 9th and 10th – enjoy jewellery making, ceramics, painting and embroidery taster workshops to try. 16th and 17th – be transported back in time to see the Victorians who would have promenaded around Harlow Carr in the 1900’s. 23rd and 24th – relax in the garden, enjoy a picnic and listen to live music throughout the evening. Last entry 7pm, garden closes at 9pm. Normal admission prices apply. * 23rd July is a members only evening

Harlow Carr 108

20-21 July 7.30am A Midsummer Nights Dream Enjoy an evening of out door theatre in the garden.

Come rain or shine, the Oddsocks players involve you in the action from the safety of your chair (or blanket). Bettys Teahouse will be open in the garden during the interval for hot drinks. Garden opens at 6.30pm, with the performance commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets: £16.50 adult, £10 children (under 16) and £3 for children under 7. To book, please telephone 0845 130 8840 or visit www.harrogatefestival.org.uk

The Harrogate Antique Fair 1st October - 5th October 2010 Harrogate International Centre Hall M - bottom of Parliament Street Open: Friday 1st October 2pm-9pm Saturday 2nd October & Sunday 3rd October 11am-6pm Monday 4th October 11am-8pm Tuesday 5th October 11am-5pm in association with

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A New

Angle

Ever fancied trying your hand at fly fishing?

The Dales is the perfect place to start, says angling enthusiast Robert MacDougall-Davis.

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he rivers and streams that pour through the Yorkshire Dales offer some of the finest fly fishing in Britain. Their excellent water quality, awe-inspiring scenery and healthy populations of wild brown trout and grayling attract fly fishers from all corners of the country. Whilst well suited to the advanced fly fisher, the wildlife-rich river catchments are also a great place for the beginners to learn the art. So if you like the idea of catching your own supper — or simply discovering a new outdoor hobby — then why not give fly fishing a whirl?

T

The basic principle of fly fishing involves casting an artificial fly on the water in the hope of persuading a fish to take it. The fly (which is usually made from feathers) imitates a real insect, and the fly fisher attempts to work out what the fish are feeding on and which fly might bring success. The art of casting a fly takes a little time to master, but anyone can learn and it is perfectly realistic for a complete novice to catch a fish or two, especially if they are accompanied by an experienced person.

Contrary to popular belief, fly fishing doesn’t have to be an expensive pastime. The cost of a local fishing licence and an Environment Agency rod licence is relatively low. What’s more, you don’t need a lot of costly tackle to get you started.

information for the first-time user. Once you have done a little research, visit your local fly fishing shop. Such shops are usually run by passionate people who will be more than happy to point you in the right direction and help you get together the essential tackle.

The first thing to think about is a fly rod.

There is a bewildering array of them on offer; the best thing to do is to get hold of a good basic all-rounder. The most versatile rod for fly fishing in the Dales is a 9ft rod rated for a #5 line. You will also need a basic fly reel and floating line that balances the rod nicely.

A simple pair of thigh waders will prove very useful too, along with a landing net and a small fly box.

Your local fly fishing shop will also be able to recommend a few good local flies and some leader material, which forms the link between your casting line and the fly. Many tackle shops offer special deals on all-round outfits, and you can also pick up great deals online from mail order fishing shops or auction sites.

You should be able to get all the gear you need for around £200, perhaps less if you get lucky at a car boot sale or in the local paper.

This may seem a lot of money, but your basic fly fishing outfit ought to last you for years and bring you a great deal of pleasure.

The best way to learn about it is with a friend, but failing that there are many excellent local guides in Yorkshire who specialise in teaching fly fishing. You can hire a guide by the hour or the day and they will give you a taste of the sport, teach you how to cast and help you develop your technique. Some even offer specially tailored ‘beginners’ days’, which are an excellent way for you to find your feet.

Once you have the basic kit, you are ready to start. The trout season runs from 25th March to 30th September, and the grayling season runs from 16th June to 14th March. Much of the finest trout fishing is during the Spring, with April, May and June being perhaps the best months of the year. September can also be a great month to be on the water, and the grayling fishing goes on right through the winter if you find that you get hooked on fly fishing!

Although a few lessons with an experienced guide can save you many hours of trial and error, it is possible to teach yourself — but you’ll need to be determined. If you decide to go it alone, the first thing to do is to get a comprehensive book such as The Sotheby’s Guide to Fly Fishing for Trout by Charles Jardine. There are also many excellent fly fishing websites with plenty of useful

There is a profusion of wonderful rivers, lakes and streams to explore with a fly rod in the Yorkshire Dales. Some of the most famous fly fishing rivers include the Nidd, Ure, Wharfe, Swale, Ribble and Skirfare. If lakes or reservoirs are more your cup of tea then you are again spoiled for choice, with excellent fisheries in the area including Malham Tarn, Kilnsey Park, Coniston Hall and Scar House

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Fly fishing will get you out and about in the Dales and take you to wild places you might never otherwise visit.

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Good spots to try your luck

Reservoir. All of these places are havens for wildlife, and you are likely to be sharing the water with otters, lapwings, ospreys, oystercatchers, yellow wagtails, dippers and even the occasional red squirrel.

Fly fishing will get you out and about in the Dales and take you to wild places you might never otherwise visit. It’s hard to describe the wonderful sense of freedom that washes over you as you stand in a cool, clear river far from the madding crowd. On a warm summer evening, with the sound of the river and a blackbird’s gurgling song filling the air, your spirits will soar. And when a rising trout moves for your fly they will soar further still, and you will experience the true joy of successful `fly fishing.

For further information about fly fishing in the Dales, visit www.yorkshire-dalesflyfishing.com. The author’s own website is www.wildaboutfishing.co.uk.

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River Wharfe The Wharfe offers superb fly fishing and flows through outstanding scenery. It carries a signature peat stain typical of Yorkshire rivers, and offers a good chance of catching wild brown trout and grayling. Day tickets (£35) are available for large parts of the Wharfe, including the 7 miles of excellent fishing at Burnsall. For further information visit www.redlion.co.uk.

River Ure With its secluded valleys, the beautiful landscape of Wensleydale and wildlife galore, The Ure offers excellent fly fishing and is home to wild brown trout and grayling. A good stretch to try your luck on, providing the water level is not too low, is Bainbridge (day tickets from The Rose & Crown Hotel, Bainbridge, 01969 650 225, £10 per day).

Malham Tarn Still waters are great places to learn how to cast, because you don’t have to worry about the influence of a river’s current on your line.

Malham Tarn is run by The National Trust, and here you will find stunning scenery and good wild trout fishing (boat fishing only).

A day ticket and boat hire costs £20 during the week, £28 on weekends. For further information call 01729 830331.

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DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

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

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Sandra Heeney Phone: 01969 623653 Mobile: 07596 234375 Email: sheeney@btinternet.com Access to power required for the drying process.

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CONTACT SUE GILLMAN T: 01904 629295 M:07970 739119 E: sue@daleslife.demon.co.uk W:www.daleslife.com 122

Hillcrest Care Home

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

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

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

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

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Be mobile on one of our Scooters from as little as £295 including warranty and after sales service • Wheelchairs • Rise and Recliner Chairs • Adjustable Beds • Bathlifts and Stairlifts also available • No obligation, home demonstration, distance no object, part exchange welcome.

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Call 01937 558604 0% finance available on request All major credit cards accepted 124

PREMIERE CARE CARING AGENCY Awarded a 3 star rating = excellent by the Care Quality Commission in 2009

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

We provide a flexible service to suit your individual needs.

For detailed information please contact Ursula Bussey.

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

Imagine living in luxurious, spacious accommodation, surrounded by 19-acres of beautiful, mature grounds and having a range of leisure facilities and amenities all on site. For the over-55s, this can be more than a dream at Middleton Hall Retirement Village, the first in the region, located between Yarm and Darlington.

Middleton Hall prides itself on being an innovative leader in services for older people. It has an unsurpassed reputation for high quality services, care and accommodation. This is achieved through our extensive team of highly trained and exceptionally dedicated staff. Services included Assisted Living Suites, Residential Care and Complete Care.

Middleton Woods has one, two and three bedroom apartments set around a sunny courtyard overlooking a lake and wildlife area. It is designed for independent living with its own entrance and private car parking.

Middleton Spa is a unique addition to the retirement village built to provide healthy living opportunities for all. The Spa includes a swimming pool, spa pool, gym and therapy rooms.

In addition Middleton Hall offers a restaurant, bar, shop, coffee shop, sports green and library.

Middleton Hall Retirement Village, Middleton St George, Darlington, Co Durham, DL2 1HA www.middleton-hall.com

For further information and a brochure please call: 01325 332207 enquiries@middleton-hall.com

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A Duplex apartment situated in the heart of Boroughbridge with a high specification throughout. The property briefly comprises:Entrance Hall, Open Plan Dining Kitchen with Living Area, Two Double Bedrooms one of which is Ensuite and Shower Room. Externally there is a Balcony and an allocated parking space.

PRICE ÂŁ199,500 For more information please contact Peter Greenwood and Co on 01423 322336 126

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DineFor

To

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

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VENNELL’S RESTAURANT

THE QUEEN'S HEAD

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

Even Claudia Blake gave a flawless review.

Vennell's holds many events throughout the year, look out for the lobster festival in July!

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

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

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

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

GRASSINGTON HOUSE Outstanding. You can see why the proprietor/chef John Rudden has won so many awards. Personable and passionate about food, this comes across in the cuisine found here. John’s willingness to share his secrets and genuine interest in his customers puts this place in a league of its own. Staying, dining or enjoying a master class at Grassington House Hotel is an absolute joy. Quality in Tourism Five Star Gold Star and AA 5 star and 2 rosettes.

5 Grassington House Hotel, Grassington. tel: 01756 752406 www.grassingtonhousesehotel.co.uk

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

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

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

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

THE COUNTRYMAN’S INN A traditional country pub, with three well-equipped, comfortable en suite bedrooms.

You are assured of a warm welcome, with good beer, good food and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The restaurant offers a wide selection of locally-sourced and freshly prepared food to suit all tastes and budgets. The bar offers four caskconditioned ales, three of which are brewed within ten miles of the pub.The Countryman’s is an AA three star inn and holds an AA diners award.

The Countryman’s Inn, Hunton, near Bedale. tel: 01677 450554 www.countrymansinn.co.uk

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

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

Stone House Hotel, near Hawes, Wensleydale. tel: 01969 667571, www.stonehousehotel.co.uk 129

THE GEORGE AT WATH

HENDERSONS BAR & RESTAURANT

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

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

Set in the idyllic riverside surroundings of Westholme Estate in Bishopdale near Aysgarth, (which is currently being turned into a luxury holiday resort as part of an ongoing £8m redevelopment programme), Hendersons is a bright, stylish, relaxed new bar and bistro-style restaurant with a contemporary feel. Talented young chef Gavin Swift, formerly of the Wyvill Arms, has hand-picked top quality local suppliers to provide the ingredients for his fresh, inventive take on modern British cuisine.

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

SIMONSTONE HALL Set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, Simonstone Hall near Hawes is a gorgeous former hunting lodge that is now a unique country house hotel.

With beautiful scenery and an abundance of excellent walking on the doorstep it has something to suit everyone. At the end of the day you can dine in the bistro-style restaurant, or relax in the traditional bar and enjoy fine local ales or a selection from the extensive wine list and superb collection of malts.

Simonstone Hall, Simonstone, Hawes, DL8 3LY tel: 01969 667255 www.simonstonehall.com

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

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

THE BAY HORSE Right in the heart of Masham, The Bay Horse is a great place to stay if you’re visiting the Dales. It’s a traditional cosy, welcoming country inn serving delicious homemade pub food and, in the evenings, a variety of seasonal specials; ingredients are locally sourced whenever possible. There are two bars with a choice of cask ales. All six bedrooms are en suite and have flat screen TV. For self-caterers there’s a deluxe holiday cottage five minutes walk away. Children and dogs welcome.

The Bay Horse, Silver Street, Masham. tel: 01765 689236 www.bayhorsemasham.co.uk 130

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

An extensive wine list complements the menu.

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

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

THE OLD DEANERY The Old Deanery restaurant is situated opposite the Cathedral in the heart of Ripon, with its own car park and a huge garden at the rear. The food is brasserie style throughout the week, for lunch, including Saturdays, from 12 till 2pm and dinner 7 till 9pm. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the menu changes for those special occasions and diners can enjoy an exceptional meal in the relaxing atmosphere of the candlelit dining room.

The quality of ingredients is first-class and the young head-chef, Rob Harvey, who trained under Gary Rhodes, produces some excellent and popular dishes. With friendly staff and a log fire you'll receive a warm welcome at the Old Deanery.

The Old Deanery, Minster Road, Ripon. tel: 01765 600003 www.theolddeanery.co.uk

Uniquely Portland.

© Portland Conservatories. 2010 All rights reserved.

Finance arranged by Portland Conservatories

Now totally affordable.

A PORTLAND ORANGERY FOR LESS THAN £150 PER MONTH To request a brochure or design visit call 01325 349558 or visit

www.portlandconservatories.co.uk

T I M B E R C O N S E R VATO R I E S

Eg: Cash price £23,500, deposit (25%) £5,875, 180 monthly payments of £149.40. Payable on completion of works (10%) £2,350.

Total payable (inc £95 documentation fee and deposits) £35,117. Fully flexible unsecured monthly rate 0.69%, typical 8.7% APR variable. Terms and conditions apply, subject to status.