Walking, sightseeing and going to a cafe are ....

· The Top activities for visitors of the North York Moors area. If this appeals to you going on a gentle walk, sightseeing / pottering and going to a café / tea room - Come and stay with us. Not to mention Dark Skies venues of which we are lucky to live in the very midst of one .We do see the most amazing skies full of stars and wonderful formations. We have seen falling stars and as youngsters always wanted to pick one up and put it in our pockets as the song goes - but havent achieved this yet. A record from the 40-50s Perry Como sang and is still remembered today. We can direct you the the foodie places we think are the best.... We can tell you the best places to go to eat, pick up a sandwich or slice of cake to eat on your day out. There is plenty of tea/coffee and milk here. Just bring you own flask and we will fill it for you . You can walk from the doorstep and leave your car while you tak a stroll to Byland Abbey 20 minutes away And if we have some homemade soup on the go we are happy to share some to go in a flask too . One of our favourite easy,flat stroll round a picture perfect village is only 10 minute drive away. Where there are thatched cottages, a duck pond and old mill. Pass cottages with names like Primrose Cottage, Mill Cottage and Orchard House A pretty village church with its lofty steeple but even better the day you do this there is no need to think of a picnic. The Star At Harome does the most amazing food ,having just been awarded 3 rosettes by the AA. Even though the foie gras is what Jack would be drawn too topped with black pudding, a very reasonably priced Market Menu 3 courses for £30. Did you know there is a child's menu too - A child's menu at a Michelin starred inn that was news to me . Add a loaf of bread and rest assured you dont need anything else but maybe a slice of cake later in the day but if you look in "your tin" when you get make to your room there will be some sweet treats for you in there. If you have already "done" your Holidays for this year .Why not plan ahead from 2024 . Gift vouchers can be bought from us for you to give for family and friends who like to get away and have a treat. If you pop into the Star Andrew Pern has brought a second book out which also will make a great gift or a keepsake for your stay in the area. It is named "Loose Birds and Game" contains 65 recipes divided into 13 chapters, large-format fold-out pages introducing each topic. There is everything here from dishes that you’ll cook to win round the in-laws, to rustic pies that you’ll want to keep for yourself. Game has never been more affordable.

July - Harvest comes early

3 weeks on and nearly the end of July .The days are  noticeably shortening and harvest has begun. Whether it be fruit,vegetables or herbs we need to spend all our spare hours making use of all this produce for future months. Even trees are being harvested ,yes trees have a life span too and we happily now have a good store of dry logs for the winter.

So often have I thought to make mint sauce as we have so much mint in the garden, but never seem to get round to it. Lockdown as given me the time to do such things. I am on the ball making mint sauce enough for two households ,my Dads and ours and I guess a few to give away too . Mustard jars with the yellow plastic tops are the best to use as the vinegar can't rust the lids and it is just a nice size to keep in the fridge. Beggars cant be choosers so I have to use a wide array of jars.

My tomatoes are doing well and getting ready nicely, whereas my Dads havent started to turn red yet. His cucumbers are ready for eating and mine are like well, let's not mention them.  So it is nice to swap. We are having a race to see who can get the first runner beans. Mine stand about the height of me now but no sign of a flower as yet.  The peas have been pulled, blanched and in the freezer and we have started on the broad beans. My dad and I sit at the table shelling them and talk of happier days when it would be a proper family event . We had rows of them in the field. My Dad and uncles would bring them in sackfuls and we all had our place around the table chatting away as we did them. My Mother would be in the back kitchen with the cooker on full blast and steam pouring out of the door blanching them. I cant write about it anymore as it makes me sad as those lovely family members are not with us anymore. It must be so hard for my Dad too, but he doesn't complain. But all of you who knew them ..Fred,Appy and my Mum , will know what I mean.

 Then there was fresh rosemary and garlic to stab into the cheese we started supper with this evening .

The waistlines never get less as I spend time baking , tonight it was plum pies .This one reminded me of Bowie ... such a vivid imagination people used to say to my Mother and I guess something never change.  It was just the plums had boiled out .

And I reckon the 4th photo down deserves someone to appreciate its art and pay me millions of dollars for this piece... might call it the end of the coffee cake .... or the scrapings of the bowl ...well it seemed more digestible to me than an image of an unmade bed

Friday is #NationalBiscuitDay

Have you ever heard of #NationalBiscuitDay  I know they have all these#Days but one for biscuits.  So what am I doing at 11pm on a Thursday night making biscuits for tomorrow. 

I could have done without it but as I had 3 and a half very ripe bananas which I need to either throw out or use I started googling banana biscuit and low and behold there was a recipe .

So I read it once, read it twice, and then made up my own recipe as the recipe I read only used 2 bananas and had cinnamon in it . I think of cinnamon as a winter seasonings. I still work in ounces and pounds rather than grams but this was in cupfuls  that is too fiddly for me .So we have cups of varying sizes. So here is my recipe 

3/4 tub of Lurpak so approx 400 grams 

sugar to match and a bit more

 a large egg

a bit of bicarbonate of soda  a dig in with a teaspoon and then a bit shaken off

a pinch of salt as my mother used says it brings out flavours.

I substituted the cinnamon with two handful of white chocolate buttons which I broke up .

I started off with one handful and thought lets go mad and put 2 handfuls in .

 and as it is  this "Biscuit Day' 

They are still in the Aga so will have to show you the finished results later but can tell you I will probably be up till daybreak as those quantities will make enough to feed a regiment.

Also Blogger has updated its format so hopefully this comes out right  and the biscuits do too. 

Sausages...

There are sausages and there are sausages....
For the month of March we will be serving up some of our own homemade and you could say homegrown sausages when you have breakfast with us. They are venison and pheasant and all comments so far is that they are delicious. Son,Nicholas is a keen hunter. As well as been a full time farmer he is a qualified butcher and likes to make delicious sausages from what he has on the farm.  I wonder if lamb sausages will be his next venture.  These sausages are what you would call man sized but ladies like to tuck into them too.
So these sausages are as local as you will ever get