Swaledale Festival 30th Anniversary 2010

The Swaledale festival begins today and goes on til the 13th June.
You can enjoy music, art and craft, drama, quoits, poetry, workshops, wildlife walks and lectures.
There is something for everyone!
Some events require you to buy tickets in advance and sell out quickly and others you can simply turn up on the day.
Check out the full programme at www.swaledale-festival.org.uk
There are venues all over Swaledale.
Today's events are at St Andrew's church in Grinton- bell ringing and baroque music.

Roe deer and sunburn

Exciting news! Guests staying last week saw a roe deer in the woods below Laykin! We have never seen one there before. As far as we know there aren't many deer in Low Row.
The weather was glorious all week and it is now rather dry, and our guests were sunburned.
The grass seed we scattered about on the scars made by the building is unlikely to germinate unless we get some rain soon!

Etape Du Dales

Look out for the Etape du Dales as it passes through on Sunday! It is a bike ride starting at 6.30 am
in Grassington and goes up Wharfdale and through Muker, past the Punch Bowl Inn and Tan Hill pub and returns via Nateby and Horton in Ribblesdale. 110 Miles in total and quite a lot of up and down! (10,500 feet to be precise or for those who do metric 3500m)

Good luck to all taking part and hope it is a nice sunny day!
The route can be viewed at

http://www.etapedudales.co.uk/etaperoutesimp.htm

Snow in May and first grouse chicks seen.

Incredible but true- there was a dusting of snow on Monday 10th May, but it didn't stay long which was lucky for all the birds currently nesting and all the young chicks. There are plenty of lapwing chicks about (green plover) and the first grouse chicks were spotted this week. Would be nice to have a bit of warmer weather- let's hope that we do see the sun a bit more this year and have a proper summer!

Dales Festival of Food and Drink

Programme of events

Saturday 1st May 2010
11.30 - 12.00 Bee keeping by Richmond and District Beekeepers Association
12.00 – 12.30 Growing and Using Herbs with Garth Cottage Herbs
12.30 - 13.00 Brewing by Brewlab
13.00 - 14.00 Wood turning by Margaret Garrard
14.00 – 15.00 Soup making with The Foodie Farmer
15.00 – 16.00 Cheese making by Wensleydale Dairy Products

Sunday 2nd May 2010
11.30 - 12.00 Bee keeping by Richmond and District Beekeepers Association
12.00 – 12.30 Growing and Using Herbs with Garth Cottage Herbs
12.30 - 13.00 Brewing by Brewlab
13.00 – 13.30 Healthy Eating with Christine Spencer of Slimming World
13.30– 14.00 All about Farming from National Farmers Union
14.00– 15.00 Soup making with The Foodie Farmer
15.00 – 16.00 Cheese making by Wensleydale Dairy Products

Monday 3rd May 2010
11.30 - 12.00 Bee keeping by Richmond and District Beekeepers Association
12.00 – 12.30 Growing and Using Herbs with Garth Cottage Herbs
12.30 - 13.00 Brewing by Brewlab
13.00 - 14.00 Wood turning by Margaret Garrard
14.00 – 15.00 Soup making with The Foodie Farmer
15.00 – 16.00 Cheese making by Wensleydale Dairy Products

Some recipes from the Dales Festival of Food and Drink held over bank holiday weekend in Leyburn

2010 FESTIVAL RECIPES DEMONSTRATED BY JONATHAN HARRISON FROM THE SANDPIPER

Wednesday 05 May 2010

Fillet of Haddock on a bed of Wild Garlic & Spinach, topped with a Poached Egg

4 portions of haddock

2 cloves of garlic

1 medium shallot

250ml fish stock

Pinch of bay leaf & thyme

500ml of Maythorne Farm double cream

wild garlic

spinach

jersey royal potatoes

4 free range eggs

tomato concasse

seasoning

In a heavy based pan with lid sweat off garlic & shallots in a little olive oil. Add fish stock & herbs. reduce by ½. Add double cream & bring to boil & reduce by1/4. Correct seasoning. Pop in haddock, wild garlic, spinach & new potatoes. Bring to boil & add tomato concasse. Take off when fish is cooked & serve immediately.

Carrick’s Organic Smoked Salmon, Avocado & Crab Salad

600g Carricks’Organic smoked salmon

100g mixed salad leaves

1 lemon

I ripe avocado

Caper berries

Mustard dressing

Crab Mix

250 g picked fresh white crabmeat

50g white breadcrumbs

4 spring onions

¼ bunch of coriander

½ lemon, juiced

75-100g mayonnaise

Mix all together in a large bowl.

Sorting out the shed

Our shed floor was a bit rotten and we had amassed a huge amount of things in our shed which needed sorting.
The floor is now sound and everything is tidy.
The downstairs has been mucked out- think the muck has been accumulating from many many years of sheep taking shelter, and is probably excellent fertilizer for the field. This was very hard work!
There are 2 new doors below which are now a lovely green colour (Ball green from Farrow and Ball colour chart) but we have left a window open so that the housemartins can nest in there as usual.
We also have electricity in the shed and lights- I would like lights in the downstairs too, but this may not happen for a while.
It has also been repointed, so should last many more years now!