Its the time of year again. No sooner have the decorations come down, the Toffee Shop fudge been devoured and I seem to have a tidy kitchen for a short while ……when I notice that Seville Oranges have arrived at Booths. Oh dear, now my favourite job (NOT) looms. Making Marmalade has been an annual…
Christmas Party nights with a difference. For a totally different way to celebrate with work colleagues or friends this Christmas. Exclusive use of Wood Fired Hot Tub and seasonal 2 course supper for up to 6 people. Start the night with an hour or so in the steaming clear waters of the Wood Fired Hot…
We certainly get wonderful skies in Cumbria. The Autumn weather changes rapidly but the ‘back-end’ of each year usually brings long spells of gorgeous weather that means a holiday in The Westmorland Dales is a good choice.
Crake Trees Manor has just relaunched after a 7 month closure for refurbishment. We are very pleased with the standard of work by our contractors Mace Construction and all the other tradesmen (I’m afraid I was the only lady on site!) that slaved away in the intent heat of our early summer. A very tight…
As we get towards completion of the bedrooms and bathrooms renovations the quality of workmanship becomes more visible. The hot dry weather has its pluses and minuses. Tools and equipment are easy to store and move about, but trying to work in tight spaces during the day needs lots of rehydration breaks. The…
Its been all about the internals this week. All the trades work together to a tight schedule so that the plasterer can complete the skimming and boarding without interruption. Light holes and cables, underfloor heating pipes and electric circuits all have been meticulously mapped. After plastering the plumbers and joiners are back to drill and…
After 18 years of Bed and breakfast guests at Crake Trees the hard worked bathrooms and shower rooms are feeling the strain. So for the past 3 months we have been busy with renovation and alteration to the “facilities” and added on a few extras. Our contractor, Mace Construction from Kendal is pulling together all…
As well as Muesli that I mix up myself I make a regular batch of Granola. Its unique flavour of roasted nuts, honey and oats really perk up thick yoghurt and give fruit an unusual crunch. The recipe is an adaptation of a local recipe from the special cookery book produced to celebrate Newton Rigg College centenary in 1995.…
Years ago, probably when I was a small girl, my mother found an old recipe for ‘Snow Pancakes ‘. We religiously used the recipe each year whenever we had a few days of snow, Whilst Laura & William were also very young there seemed to be short bursts of snow each January, but it’s…
Its creation from an idea to completion. Thwaites engineers at Morland tackled the job of engineering the skeleton of The Shepherds Hut. Jan made drawings and calculations to scale from my own and mikes artistic efforts with a few alterations to get it in proportion. With a sprung base and articulated back wheels the frame looked…
