~Half-term week~

This week's gone so fast, as hols always do. I've batch cooked for the freezer, cleaned cupboards out, renovated some more furniture, met up with friends and done some charity shop rummaging...
Today we had a run to Filey.  It takes about an hour and half due to the traffic round York and it wasn't the best day weather-wise but despite the mizzly greyness it was unseasonably warm.

Top left - Yummiest hot choc ever from Rendevous Café which sits in the Cliffside below the Crescent Gardens. Cream? Yes please. Flake? Yes please.
Top right - Coble Landing boats, note appropriate 'Morning Mist'.
Bottom right - The Filey lifeboat on the Coble Landing.
Bottom left - a photo of me with Jack; a brave first actual photo of me on my blog. The bobble hat wasn't so much for the cold, more a hair-taming intervention. Do you know the Friends episode where Monica's hair hates humidity and gets bigger and bigger?  Well the trusty bobble hat prevented that happening :)

~More of the Summer Hols~

As promised a few more photos of mine and Laura's weekend away further up the Yorkshire Coast at Robin Hood's Bay. I found this B and B last year when we had a walk round RHB, it looked just my cup of tea and if I'm going to pay to stay anywhere I like it to exceed what I've got at home if you know what I mean, otherwise what's the point? So we stayed at Lynnfield B and B which is a beautifully renovated Victorian house at the top of the steep hill on the main street.  It was built in 1897 for the aptly named Captain Storm and it remained in the family until 2010 when the current owners bought it and renovated it - doing a fantastic job.

 We stayed in a twin room on the ground floor.  Look how lovely it was with crocheted throws and beautiful art deco lights...

 The view into the back yard...

 An original built-in cupboard housing some of a huge collection of Hornsea and mid 20th century pottery.  The breakfast room was also a showcase for more stunning pottery - have a look on their website for more pics.

 The matching art deco light fitting.  I would like to take this home!

 A pristine shower room with lovely toiletries...

 

Breakfast was delicious with lots of choice and local produce.

 

We didn't have the best weather - it was incredibly humid and grey at times with sun and showers thrown in...but we got out and about and visited Runswick Bay further up the coast which was very pretty and sort of like a Yorkshire Cornwall :)

I'd never been to Sandsend before either, which is 2 miles north of Whitby.  We loved it here with it's cafes on the beach, surf school, galleries and gift shops and fantastic beach.  I particularly liked Wild Hart gift and vintage gallery which also has a branch in York.  I fancy Sandsend as a few days away next Summer.

 

 

I like a beach with sand and pebbles as you know...

 

...and it was a fantastic place to find sea glass which passed an hour or two!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed that little trip to the Yorkshire coast again!



~Crochet ta-da and Summer Holidays Part 1~

I have to say I am really enjoying the summer hols - I know I am lucky to work term-time but I do only get paid for 39 out of 52 weeks so that's the trade-off isn't it?
I have completed a few crochet garlands - this one is the rainbow one I did in lovely cotton yarns (leftovers and bargain buys) for my cousin's daughter in Australia...

 Jack and I spent a few days in Filey last week and we had gorgeous weather apart from a crazy thunder, lightning and rain storm one day which you could see roll in from Flamborough Head across the sea.  Cue hundreds of people running to take shelter in the amusement arcade :)   I feel lucky as my friend's family has a bungalow there, so we get to go there quite often for just the cost of food and petrol. I really recommend Filey as it's a traditional seaside town and is absolutely pristine with plenty to do both locally and within a short drive.


 

Filey beach near the Coble Landing last Tuesday

 

I've made tomato chutney and blackberry cheese from the first blackberries in the hedgerows in my village.  The basic method I blogged about before is here. I love making fruit cheeses as you can eat them on toast or with cheese and cold meats. As they are sieved, they are a great way of using fruit with loads of pips or stones.

 

Also, when you go to the coast don't forget the neglected courgettes will swell to epic proportions...this one will be ratatouille-d later today for the freezer.

 

Back soon with some more seaside photos from further up the Yorkshire coast.

 

Yarn Shop Day & simple pleasures

Yarn Shop day was Saturday 3rd May - did you visit a wool shop? I did -  I visited Needlecase at Tadcaster, which I've blogged about before. They had a plentiful supply of tea and cake going on, as well as a knitted flowers workshop - however I just popped in to purchase some wool and a pattern to knit for my new niece, expected in July. I bought Sirdar Snuggly in this blue/purple colour and some mother of pearl buttons...

The pattern is a chunky aran type cardigan with bobbles round the yoke

 which I'll do in a 6-12 month size.

 

Jack and I went to give Laura a lift home from the coast and took the dog for a long walk at the seaside.

Hornsea beach - I love it.

Definitely my 5-year plan to live there.

The tide was coming in and the sound was so calming.

Pebbles, pebbles, pebbles...I could look at them all day!

I made this chocolate cake today - just a Victoria Sponge with added cocoa and chocolate chips topped with leftover Easter egg melted chocolate and filled with fresh vanilla cream

It was gorgeous!

 

~Helmsley visit~

We had a lovely day trip on Friday to Helmsley, North Yorkshire on what was the warmest day of the year so far!  Helmsley is a traditional and quaint market town on the River Rye, and has the ruins of a 12th century castle which is open to visit with an English Heritage visitor centre. Here are a few photos of the day...



 ...it was market day and this statue in the centre of market square is apparently of Lord Feversham.   Great selection of stalls - fruit and veg, collectables, haberdashery etc...
Daffodils still in bloom...

 

 

Plenty of independent food, craft and antique shops...

 

as well as a few charity shops.  The Oxfam was particularly well-stocked and well-priced.  This 2m x 1.5m piece of Sanderson vintage roses fabric was £1.99

 



And of course the castle and the English Heritage visitor centre.

 - you may also notice I'm a bit obsessed with period doors and doorways...

 

On my travels I usually come across a little café I would like to run, and this one was no exception...

 

We sat outside CottonHouse, in Barker's Yard for an Earl Grey and a Mocha.

This sunny courtyard of shops were converted from the stables.  As well as being a coffee shop, they also have this lovely haberdashery

 and sell locally handmade crafts...crochet, cards, appliqued t-shirts, bunnies...

excuse my reflection in the window!

www.cottonhousehelmsley.co.uk

 

A lovely day out in a beautiful part of Yorkshire. Enough to do and see to warrant a weekend break.

Have a good weekend x 

 

 

~Sewing in the hols~

Spurred along by Daisy's Sew-Along (click on the link opposite) and also the final of the Great British Sewing Bee on Tuesday, I've started a new sewing project...

 

It's New Look 6895, which is a multi-size pattern for 6 tops - I'm making view C, top right, which takes 1.5m of fabric.  It's got a gathered scoop neck, and gathered short sleeves.

I made another of these (view E) in 2012...

 

 

I'm using this navy soft cotton lawn, which I bought a few weeks ago for £5.99 a metre from the fantastic Fabworks millshop here in Dewsbury. It looks a bit faded in my photo, but it's a true navy.

Talking of the Sewing Bee; I did apply for this year and made it to the phone interviews but no further. *sad face*
That said, as I do my cutting out on the floor in a most unglamorous fashion, oofing when my knees hurt and I put my tongue out whilst concentrating - all these things would have not made easy viewing!
Here are my 4 pieces cut out, notches cut out and tailor-tacks done, all ready to start after tea. See how messy my sewing room is now you can see the untidy side! 
And now, Small Dog has just wondered in to have a look a la Claudia, Patrick and May just to check up on me...

I will return tomorrow with some progress (hopefully).

 

 





~Yorkshire Log Cabin Weekend~

Earlier in November, I spent a weekend at the Yorkshire Coast with 7 friends, staying in a lovely log cabin. I've stayed here before, though this time we were in a larger, newer lodge called Skylark Lodge. 

These are serious cabins, with swinky-swanky kitchens and bathrooms plus a log burning stove and a hot tub outside. All of the 2-storey cabins are situated round 2 little lakes.

The interiors are lovely, very nicely done...

Image reproduced from http://www.hornsealakes.com/accommodation/dovetail-lodge/

...and the lodges are just a stone's throw from the sea

and are on the outskirts of Hornsea, East Yorkshire (the home of Hornsea pottery of course).

Hornsea itself has many lovely independent homeware shops, an art gallery and pottery, fantastic charity shops, yummy fish and chip shops, plus a  museum.

One of my purchases was a pair of  Sealake Mohair Cushion Sole Socks made from the wool from local Angora goats kept in the fields around Hornsea mere, an inland lake. They were £12.50 but well worth it: they are sooooo gorgeous and warm.  I have a weakness for fluffy warm socks instead of slippers.  

I have already booked another visit early next year!

~Birthday Weekend~

Well, I turned 43 on Friday, which is a shocker, though I'm assured by 11 year old J that his mates think I'm waaaay younger looking than that!!  It's half-term, so for us lucky term-time workers that means a week off which I will use for Spring Cleaning, a bit of wallpapering and a lot of tea and cake and catching up with people.
I got some really thoughtful and great presents from friends and family...Do you think it's lovely that my little brother knows me so well?!?

I also received some lovely soap and bath truffles from The Yorkshire Soap Company in York, which smell divine and I've took them out of their pretty handbag-shaped boxes to display them in the bathroom on a glass cake stand...

The soap in the middle smells of violets which is one of my favourite scents, up there at the top of my fragrance top 10 with rosemary and geranium.

www.theyorkshiresoapcompany.co.uk
Twitter @ysoap
10 Blake Street
York YO1 8QG
Open 10.30-5.30 Mon-Sat, 10 - 5 Sun

Back tomorrow with a crafty book giveaway.
Sally x

~A Cup of Tea with Lynn Hill~

At the end of January I had the opportunity of a quick chat
over a virtual cup of tea (Yorkshire of course) with Lynn Hill, creator of the Clandestine Cake Club and author of it's new Cookbook.I wanted to find out what had inspired Lynn's love of baking...

What was your background; how did you come to love baking? 
The last job I had before I retired in 2007 was in the customer service sector of a bank. I worked there for about 12 years. I came to love baking through cookery classes at school and my mother always cooked and baked at home, even when my sister and I were very young. At a very young age I seem to remember my father used to come home with a rabbit or 2 and mum would cook them. Rabbit is a delicious sweet meat, I remember it well. She used to bake bread, pies and cakes, all the traditional home baking that I'm glad to say is still done in many homes today.

Did you have an inspirational family member who taught you?
 I think we often used to watch our mums baking, and I'm no exception, but most of my baking and cooking skills are self taught with the odd cookery school attendance here and there. And of course I have a great selection of cookery books to fall back on.

How did you come to have a secret tearoom and where did the idea for CCC come from? 
The Secret Tea Room came about in June 2010 when I had my first afternoon tea in my own home, although the original idea came in 2009. It was part of the supperclub movement at that time and Clandestine Cake Club, which I created in December 2010, is essentially a spin off from that where I wanted to bring people together with Tea and Cake but without me doing all the baking, so what better way than to start a cake club. Sadly I don't have time for The Secret Tea Room anymore because I'm putting all my energy into CCC.

Did you enjoy the book creation process - which are the best bits of writing a cookbook?
I thoroughly enjoyed creating the book, from the moment members started to send in their recipes, including all the writing, seeing the photographs coming in and gradually page by page, seeing the book take shape. It  was quite an emotional moment when I received my copy of the book.  The photo shoots were great fun. Some of which I attended were London, Bath and Leeds and some CCC members were invited to join in the fun as well.

Available here

~Lovely Shop Bespoke Country~

In the Summer when we were caravanning in 'Chateau H' at Filey, I discovered a gorgeous shop in Scarborough called Bespoke Country. I love finding a shop that is filled with things I like, and just that bit different to other shops.  They do mail order too, and have a lovely website where you can buy online and pay by card or Paypal here

Image from www.bespokecountry.co.uk

I bought a lovely handmade sign for the caravan and also a pack of 16 10cmx10cm Tilda fabric patchwork squares (I think I paid £4.50) which I'm just machine sewing now to make a cushion cover. I join mine in numbered strips once I've laid them out into a pleasing arrangement.  Here it is in progress...

Lots and lots to look at in this shop - vintage style interiors, handmade shaker-style signs customised while you wait, fabrics, Emma Bridgewater pottery, handknitted tea cosies, giftware, fabric, ribbons and buttons...I'll definitely call in again when we're next at the coast. They also have a blog too called 'Red House' which can be found at http://redhousechronicles-jenny.blogspot.co.uk/

Bespoke Country
18 Bar Street
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
YO11 2HT
Tel: 01723 378728
Open: Mon-Sat, 10-5

...have a lovely weekend, we are lucky tonight, having been invited to a friend's house who is a fab cook so I'm looking forward to some gorgeous Indian food. Not sure how I am going to squeeze in my party dress this festive season but never mind...

~Getting ready for Macmillan Coffee Morning~

I'm hosting a Macmillan coffee morning on Saturday from 11 to 1pm, to raise as much money as possible for Macmillan Cancer Support and I'm hoping to top last year's total of £130.86 which I wrote about here..

The Macmillan coffee mornings have been going since 1991 and have raised over £60 million for Macmillan cancer Support since then.
Thankfully I've got today off work, so I'm organising my tombola...

Roll up, roll up for the Macmillan Tombola!! Green raffle tickets, of course!

As a Tea Drinker (of huge quantities) I have to say my event will be a Macmillan 'Yorkshire Tea' morning as I have been kindly and generously supported by the lovely people at Yorkshire Tea (Betty's & Taylor's of Harrogate).

Some of my Raffle Prizes for Macmillan

 So, lashings of Yorkshire Tea, Taylor's coffee and cakes await new friends, old friends, family and Bloggy friends on Saturday!
I will be back with photos and a write-up after Saturday, but for now I am back to baking after I've sampled the latest batch of Brownies out of the oven with a cup of Yorkshire Tea!

I hope you all enjoy supporting a coffee morning near you...Hello to my lovely colleagues who are having theirs today...SAVE ME SOME CAKE PLEASE!

~Fruit foraging at Towton~

L and I are home alone today as OH and J are away at Cub Camp, so we took Small Dog for a nice long walk.  Despite only living 4 miles from the site of the Battle of  Towton, the renowned bloodiest battle on English soil which took place on Palm Sunday in 1461, I've never walked the fields or stopped to explore.  It's especially interesting as one of L's A Levels is Early Modern History, so it's a bit like having your own tour guide on the Wars of the Roses and the monarchy.  It was a beautiful sunny morning to take the time to walk the route; there are fantastic information boards all the way round. Visit the Towton Battlefield Society website here http://www.towton.org.uk There's an evocative video (only 3 minutes long)  narrated by Robert Hardy, who is the patron of the society, which gives you a real idea of the landscape that snowy day and the brutal realities of the battle.
I couldn't resist a bit of foraging as there were some sloes and blackberries (albeit small).  Many of the blackberries are still not ripe.  The eldeberries were nice and black so I picked a few, due to the teenager rolling her eyes and losing patience with me as I scrambled into the hedge (getting nettled) with my carrier bag...    This was the result...

I do get enthusuastic about nature and the landscape and use the word * amazing...*  a lot, which exasperates L as well!
I actually prefer Damson Gin to Sloe Gin, damsons are a great fruit for preserves and liqueurs, although my little tree, Damson 'Merryweather' only yielded about 1lb of decent fruit, the rest of it suffered rotting and disease. I wrote a post about making Damson Cheese last year see here.
So today, I've made a blackberry and apple crumble and also set some Hedgerow Vodka going....

I got some great advice on making fruit liqueurs here...
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/superb-sloe-vodka-recipe-518/

~Caravan Trip to Castle Howard~

We had a lovely few days away in 'Chateau H' at Castle Howard...despite the rain, the copious amounts of duck and goose poop and the mosquitos... All was cosy in Chateau H though with homemade chilli and chocolate brownies...

There was absolutely no mobile signal - not good when your daughter is at Leeds Fest and you're a nervous wreck!    Saturday night and early morning we had torrential rain and lightning, and I felt sick with worry thinking about poor L. in a tent and no way to contact her.

Next day we went into Malton and rang L - who was fine of course, but we do take our mobiles for granted I think...I was happier then and felt up to a Charity Shop reccie in malton and came away with this BHS lamp from the Hospice Shop (PAT tested and good to go for £3)

I think a table lamp is a cosy essential in a caravan.  With every trip we think of something that we need - this time it was a decent breadknife, a measuring jug and some insect repellant...
Lakeside Holiday Park is literally at the side of the Great Lake, so of course you'll get mozzy bites and woken up by the ducks at early o'clock, but it was beautiful.  This is the view when you ascend the banking of the lake and look across...

Photo borrowed from Mark Denton Photographic (www.markdentonphotographic.co.uk)

A lovely walk at dusk, lots of ducks and ducklings, moorhen and geese... Dogs weren't allowed around the immediate lake, though quite a few people ignored this, which is annoying. The touring site has a forest feel, which was a bit dark in places and our pitch was a bit waterlogged in the awning space. I think it teaches you to be a bit more assertive when booking - next trip I will ask for a sunny pitch that's not near a pedestrian thoroughfare.

We were opposite the shower block, which was modern and ok cleanliness wise, our only gripe was there is no shop on site, but there is a farm shop, deli and bakery up at Castle Howard itself.  A nice touch was when the ice-cream van came round, and also the delicious fish and chips from Pickering in a mobile van on Saturday night...

 We got reduced tickets into Castle Howard which had a family day with archery, cycling, climbing etc.
OH and J had a go on a 7-person conference bicycle up and down the drive at great speed, past the Atlas Fountain and the house itself...

Photo from internet 

My camera ran out of charge or I would have taken loads more piccies.

Lakeside Holiday Park
Coneysthorpe, York
www.castlehoward.co.uk