An early breakfast this morning for a guest travelling a very long way away set me forward in the day's activities! Lovely to wake to that beautiful chattering sound above the bedroom window, the swallows I think have hatched since occasionally I see a broken egg shell being pushed out of the nest and landing on our bedroom window sill. Their displays over the farmyard this morning are easily seen as I am sitting at the kitchen table, since the weather is once again so damp they are diving low over the courtyard catching the flies.
However, the welcome is not damp on arriving here, in fact it is quite positively spring like with yesterday's guests seeing Leah's beautiful, now legendary cupcakes with little pink piglets on top! If you haven't been tempted to join her Cupcakes Galore day - take a quick peek at Leah's website - www.leahspantry.co.uk and I think you may be then!
The Bluebells have finally blossomed in the woods, and yesterday our guests walked down to Bollington to explore the Bollington Festival, they arrived back at Harrop Fold so excited to tell us all about the beauty of the woods. Their photographs certainly showed the intensity of the beautiful colours. I love seeing these flowers as they always remind me of when the children were small and we used to sit on the seat by the stream looking for the fairies, the boys could be a little unkind to the girls who always, without fail, saw the fairies dancing through the Bluebells!
Last week Northern Harvest brought us the first Cheshire Asparagus - is that a sign of warmer weather? So delicious it was that we bought two grades, one for soup which was divine and another for steaming. Northern Harvest deliver here on a Thursday and so it was Cheshire Asparagus for supper again last night! Perhaps you might like to try some and cook it just as we love it.
Take a bunch of Cheshire Asparagus, steam until it is to your liking. In the water below, poach an egg and in a frying pan toast some breadcrumbs with fresh chopped herbs from your garden. (Here we have parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme growing in the kitchen garden along with some oregano, we chop whichever we fancy).
When it is cooked lay the asparagus on the plate with the poached egg to the side and sprinkle with herb breadcrumbs...um...yummy! This is surely a different take on the poached egg and soldiers!
Last week saw the launch of Taste Cheshire - the Cheshire Foodtrail - another wonderful idea from Visit Chester and Cheshire. What a great evening everyone enjoyed at Spitting Feathers in Chester - who could fail to enjoy an evening in a brewery?! lovely beers and Cheshire Cider along with delicious titbits of cheese and very tasty canapes. The food trail suggests a trail of delicious places all over Cheshire and yes, Harrop Fold is featured in one of the trails. The gorgeous books are available here at the farm and I know the guests who have been here this week have all taken one and visited more than one of the suggested places.
Looking forward to our next evening out with our lovely, lovely friends from Visit Chester and Cheshire which will be the Annual Cheshire Tourism Awards to be held at Chester Racecourse two weeks tonight. Once again Harrop Fold Farm has been shortlisted in a couple of categories: Bed & Breakfast of the Year (which we won in 2006) and A Taste of Cheshire. Our judging felt as though it went well, the judges were so interesting and they put us at ease, so it is down to their decisions...fingers crossed though! We do try so hard to go the extra mile for our guests, but that is so easy due to the welcome encouragement we receive from them.
Time to put the next lot of breakfasts on...I think this morning I will tempted to join in. Who can resist Harrop Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Cheshire Tomatoes and Mushrooms and some of Jeremy's handmade Blackpudding? Certainly not me this morning! Finished off with some homemade Lemon Curd and Cheshire Rhubarb and Ginger Jam. Yum yum! Oh no! I do have to try to squeeze into my evening dress soon though!
Catch up again shortly,
Love,
Sue xx
Sue's News (Tag: leah)
A sign of warmer weather
- 21 May 2009, 11:54
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A very Good Friday at Harrop Fold
- 10 April 2009, 12:00
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What a lovely treat we had this morning, when popping out of the backdoor to feed Mr Peacock I heard a familiar chirping overhead and yes, our favourite visitors are back. This morning the first of the swallows have taken up residence in their old nest above our bedroom window. I just love waking to their jolly chirping noises, I never tire of the sound and it does make me think of warmer, (hopefully) sunnier weather ahead.
The other treat we have had this weekend is taking delivery of the first of our Cheshire rhubarb, so on the aga this morning is our 2009 Cheshire Rhubarb and Ginger jam, yummy! Last night I was busy making Lemon Curd with Westry Roberts wonderful farm churned butter and the deliciously romantic Amalfi lemons, all combined with our bright yellow yolked eggs. So this morning the Stevenson children have all been eating lots and lots of hot toast and lemon curd, must lock it away or it will not last our guests!
Busy weekend here, but Leah and I are hoping to be able to go to visit the Chester Food and Drink Festival - cupcakes allowing! Dear Alice and Edward have swotting to do for their finals and GCSE's so I will have to make loads of tasty treats to sustain them.
Before closing, must mention another lovely article with a beautiful photo of Leah, looking very rural with the hens. The May edition of Country Homes and Interiors has run a feature on Harrop Fold and the cookery courses enjoyed here, we do have a few copies around the farm!
Jam is smelling divine, so must go and jar it.
Wishing you all a very happy Easter weekend, and hope to see you soon.
Love, Sue x
Harrop Fold wins Countryside Alliance Local Food Award
- 23 February 2009, 19:00
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We are the 2008 Countryside Alliance Local Food Award winners for North West England Yippee! And we are going to the House of Lords for the presentation ceremony which will be a great treat I am sure. Regional Director and Head Regional Judge Richard Dodd commented: “Harrop Fold is a business run with passion. A B&B set on a 20-acre farm, at Harrop Fold Farm you can take a tailored foodie break weekend and watch your supper being cooked, which is an approach I had never heard of before. Leah Stevenson is passionate about cooking and local produce and encourages guests to take part in her demonstrations. I don’t think I have ever heard of this approach and think it will do wonders for food education as well as enjoyment of local, seasonal produce in a beautiful rural setting. A real one-off, and I hope the national judging panel is as enthused as I am!”
We are really proud as we have always championed local produce, David being the son of a farmer and me being the daughter of a butcher it has been second nature and something we have always shared with our guests and now to receive this credit is fantastic!
Leah is having a fabulous time; this month saw a wonderful article in the BBC Good Food Magazine, along with a lovely photo of Leah in action teaching Caroline her tricks of the trade! Today Leah has been nominated for the Cheshire Woman of the Year Award 2009, which means another lunch, this time at Eaton Park, Chester. Oh...how enjoyable food is!
Snow has been the topic of conversation here at Harrop Fold...lots of it. Fortunately the good folk at the Highwayman offered their car park to our guests and we ferried from pub to farm in the Landrover. We were so glad when the thaw came and found poking up through the garden were the first pretty little snowdrops, I love that little promise of spring.
My friend Brenda, from Red Oaks Farm, delivered to us half a lamb which was delicious and again made me think about spring and the tasty, tasty spring lamb which will be around quite soon, can you imagine anything tastier than Cheshire lamb and Cheshire Asparagus? We are coming to the end of our Cheshire fruit jams, but we do have one kilner jar of Tayberry left and then I will be making a fresh supply of English Rhubarb and another pan of gorgeous Amalfi Lemon Curd, yummy! David’s Mum makes the best marmalade, but unfortunately David is very possessive over this!
Fortunately, the hens have started to lay again and this evening we are having a practice run of pancake making...and the first are on the table...so must go and feast again!
Speak again soon,
Sue x
Leah's First Awards...From September to our first snowfall!
- 5 December 2008, 13:00
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All my good intentions to keep this blog up to date...and it is now December! Another good couple of months have been enjoyed here with Leah winning the Cheshire Rural Woman of the Year Award for her contribution to food and drink; I was a very proud Mum and clapped very hard indeed to see Leah walk up to collect a lovely clock, some beautiful flowers and of course, the all important certificate! November saw the Cheshire Awards for Tourism Skills, another fantastic party night organised by Visit Chester and Cheshire, at Tatton Park, and once again Leah was successful in being presented with another award, this time for Best New Entrant to the Industry. There is going to be abit of competition here between Mother and Daughter I feel!!
Talking about Awards, we had a fabulous evening at St George's Hall at the end of October for the NWRDA North West England Tourism Awards. Sadly we did not win, however, being a part of this prestigious event for the 3rd year running is indeed an achievement. 2006 saw us there with the B&B and we did receive Highly Commended, 2007 with Painting at Harrop Fold Farm and then this year we were representing Cheshire with Self-catering Holiday Experience with Mellow Brook Cottage here at Harrop Fold Farm. The cottage looks beautiful following its complete redecoration and refurb, and guest's feedback is brilliant.
We have had our first substantial snowfall this week; on Tuesday morning David had to bring out the tractor to pull out two of our guest’s cars! It adds to the adventure...so I am told! What is so funny is that just 2 miles down the road there was no snow at all! Anyway, it arrived quickly and left quickly...much to Edward’s disgust as he quite fancied a couple of days off school.
Leah began her Christmas Cookery Demonstrations and Dine yesterday, it was really well received, and the dining room looked beautiful with the Christmas tree in situ. Perhaps this weekend will see us decorate the other tree in the cottage. The family are enjoying all this seasonal food especially the turkey as Leah keeps trying many different recipes out on us...I really must try to exercise or I will not be fitting into my Christmas party dresses!
Mincemeat has been on Leah’s mind as she has been making the most delicious mincemeat over the last couple of weeks, and so today’s job is making a few more mince pies for this weekend’s visitors. Oh the temptations I am faced with...will anyone notice how many I actually made?!
The animals are all well, the peacocks have settled and now entertain the guests over breakfast, I am not quite sure whether they are admiring themselves by viewing their reflections in the windows or are hoping for treats from guests! Emmie is delightful and so good, she has loved seeing her first snow this week, she made everyone laugh when she jumped onto the wall not realising of course that she would then skid along it and land on the ground! Arthur has taken to his job of patrolling the buildings looking for anything interesting (and tasty!) and spends a great deal of the day in this way.
The cows came in for the winter after the bonfire party, I love hearing their low mooing sounds when I wake up in the morning. They are so happy when they first come in, but by spring start trying to break out again...the grass is always greener...!
Must set to now to prepare the rooms for today’s guests and then start to organise our Christmas orders to ensure we have plenty of delicious food to offer our guests.
Catch up again very soon,
Sue x
A Hat Trick of Awards for Harrop Fold!
- 21 June 2008, 17:00
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Cheshire Tourism Annual Awards 2008 - The Winners!
Self Catering Holiday of the Year 2008 - Mellow Brook Cottage at Harrop Fold Farm
The judge said “This was the only self-catering unit we saw with a special magic – nothing to do with plasma tv screens etc, more to do with imaginative restoration of the cottage, making the most of natural materials and beautiful simplicity.”
We all had simply the most exciting night last Friday at the beautiful Chester Racecourse. Visit Chester and Cheshire put on the most glamourous Awards ceremony which was organised by the happy and lovely Nicola Said and her very able team. Harrop Fold was shortlisted for 4 awards - yes! 4 awards! - B&B of the Year, Tourism Experience of the Year, Self Catering Holiday of the Year and Taste of Cheshire. We won the first 2 in 2006 and 2007 and are totally delighted to win the Self-Catering Holiday Award this year.
How wonderful it is to be rewarded for all the thought and consideration we all really do put into the business to ensure our guests have a truly memorable time...from David's vision in building the barn and his unbelievable skill in keeping the barn true to its character - so many guests comment on the original plough 'bit' and the horse harness found under the hay when beginning the conversion - to Leah offering the finest local produce - to Helen and I 'charring' and making the cottage look welcoming to guests. And of course, Edward's lawn mowering and weeding skills! and must not miss out Alice's and George's help in the holidays. All in all a damn fine Team!
...and of course this gives us entry to the North West Development Agency Award's Ceremony in October, and we all just love that night too!
All this celebrating and more lovely guests to care for gave us an exhausting weekend! Bollington celebrated the Cheshire Year of the Gardens 08 with its wonderful Floating Garden Festival on Sunday where we all gathered to wave off Bollington's own floating garden to wind its way over to Middlewich - what tremendous weather the crew will have enjoyed.
Speaking of the weather, it is fantastic, David and I had a stroll on Monday evening to pick more rhubarb for our jams and enjoyed a quiet few moments watching the sunset and the view was so clear we could see right over the Cheshire Plain to the Welsh Mountains.
The lovely weather is encouraging the wildlife to 'perform well' for our guests, our visitors in Mellow Brook Cottage have been treated on several evenings to playful visits from the badgers and on one occasion this beautiful creature was so close he could have been touched! This morning the Kites are to be seen soaring over the bottom meadow.
Waxing lyrical about nature is not going to help with this morning's jobs. We have an art course running and I have cakes to bake and lunch to prepare - so off to the Aga I must go, first on the list is preparing some Cheshire beetroot, which I think I will make into soup, it always looks so fantastic being such an incredible colour and with a dollop of contrasting Delamere Creamed Cheese tastes divine...feeling peckish now too!
Speak soon.
Love, Sue x
Press, press and more press
- 11 April 2008, 18:00
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One thing that always makes my toes curl is drawing attention to our newspaper coverage – don’t take me wrong…we are always first in line at the newsagent on the day of publication to buy enough copies to read, keep and give to family! However, I seem to remember as a child being told not to boast! But due to pressure from certain guests (and you know who you are!) here goes:
Thanks for all the lovely comments from our eagle eyed guests who spotted the wonderful half page article in The Guardian. We had the treat to host Sally Shalam of the Guardian Travel to an artistic break prior to Christmas. A beautiful photograph accompanied the article, which pleased young Alice!
Sally loved her visit to Harrop Fold where she enjoyed dinner, bed and breakfast and a day painting with Mike. 'I’m utterly absorbed and hours go by in a flash. This is such fun. …it’s my brushwork and I love it.’ She also makes mention of our delicious food ‘I’ve done my best to squirrel away Cheshire Smokehouse cod with freshly laid egg, and toast with home-made gooseberry jam …naturally, I stuffed myself at dinner the previous night – Canapés, Delamere Dairy goat’s cheese and dressed leaves, then lovely beef from the Stevensons’ own herd’.
Also with Sally was Sophie Hazan of the Yorkshire Post who fell in love with Lottie the spaniel or did Lottie fall in love with Sophie? They were never far apart, including when Lottie sneaked her way onto Sophie’s walk, I received a phone call from Bollington – ‘Please can you come and collect Lottie, we haven’t got a lead!’ We are looking forward to reading Sophie’s piece as soon as it is published.
January saw a full page on Leah in YQ Magazine, Talent Scout – Leah Stevenson, Chef. As a very proud Mother I loved it and I think we have a magazine in each room of the house!
The Sunday Times Travel in February placed us within the World’s 20 Cool Pads! How fab is that? Cool it certainly was in February but this morning I woke to a beautiful sunny morning that actually tempted me to jump out of bed and put a spring in my step. Just as well really as we have a residential art weekend running this weekend and I think I will require a lot of spring! Leah is at the helm on the food front and I think I have just spotted Mike with an armful of paintbrushes going through to set up the studio.
Must nip off now and check the cakes in the Aga…Speak again soon,
Love, Sue x
Leah's Delicious Dinners
- 10 February 2008, 16:00
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Last weekend saw the first of 2008’s Saturday night delicious ‘Taster’ dinners. We were once again treated ourselves by the company who chose to stay with us and I felt I had to add to our diary the special poems sent to us by Mother and Daughter.
In Praise of Harrop Fold Farm
If you need a haven
To escape from your cares
Try Harrop Fold Farm
In the Valley of Hares
Sue’s welcome is charming
The view is divine
Conversation just flows
Like so much good wine
There are ponies and cows
And a kitten who’s dotty
A fine clutch of hens
And a doggie called Lottie
For Lovers of food
There’s much cause for cheer
For it’s breakfast by David
And dinner by Leah
If it’s new inspiration
That your’re looking for
Discover your talents
And paint with Mike Moore
So if you want spoiling
With comfort and style
Try Harrop Fold Farm
And tarry a while…
Not to be outdone… our delightful youngest guest sent a gem too…
Harrop Fold Farm,
Has such a charm,
The animals are funny,
Even little bunny.
The food and catering,
Even the painting all have such a charm…
It’s Harrop Fold Farm!!
However, we cannot leave out the Birthday boy! His scribbled note in the book read:
‘Thank you for making my 37th birthday such a surreal and beautiful experience!’
Our reply to our guests has to be Thank you for visiting us. Without you we would not be here!
Hope to see lots of old friends (well, I don't actually mean old - I mean guests and friends who have visited before!) and meet many new to share our dinner table (and wine cellar!). Do give me a ring if you would like to join us.
Must dash, the sun is shining and the countryside looks so lovely, I think I must go and busy myself outside - or for those into the joke 'bustle'!
Love, Sue x
Happy New Year!
- 15 January 2008, 15:00
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Happy New Year to all and hoping you had the Merriest of Christmases. We had a lovely Christmas, for the first time ever, shared with bed & breakfast guests who were visiting the area from Europe. Never before have we enjoyed breakfast with our guests in our dressing gowns…but…it was Christmas morning and jolly relaxed and enjoyable it was too – maybe the Champagne helped! We closed for New Year and had a family break in colder climes. Mulled wine and snow was enjoyed by all.
Now, back home relaxed and ready to welcome our 2008 guests.
A little sadness just before Christmas when John, the cat, unexpectedly died. He had a great life and will be very sadly missed. Lottie did pine, looking everywhere for her pal. However, the children surprised me for Christmas, I was made to sit down and was blindfolded before this little fluffy ball was placed in my hand – on close inspection it was the most adorable tabby kitten and following our theme of King’s names, this tiny ball of trouble now answers to the big name of Arthur. Lottie once again has a chum, we think really she now imagines herself as Mum, but frequently forgets and is found rolling round the floor with the kitten attached to her long floppy ears!
Rain, rain, rain seems to be the weather for the present, we brought the cows in today for the first time this winter, really because the land is so wet and to rest the fields. For the cows it was just another adventure as they ran around the farmhouse with their tails in the air! The ponies were looking a little jealous at the attention lavished on the cows and began to charge around their field but it is amazing how a few carrots calm our boys – well the four-legged lot! The two-legged lot require much more food preparation, speaking of which, must go and put the pastry round a steak and kidney pie, our footballing school boy will be home very soon, and no doubt starving – as usual!
Speak again soon.
Autumnal Activities
- 14 December 2007, 12:00
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Still much to say about autumn activities. We represented Cheshire as their Tourism Experience of the Year 2007 at the recent North West England Tourism Awards, sadly we did not win – we were beaten by the Royal Liverpool Open Golf 2006 so of course, Good Luck to them in the England finals. However, what a marvellous evening we enjoyed, although it might sound corny to say it was the taking part that mattered...it truly was. It was a pleasure and delight to spend this exciting night with Leah and Alice and parents and we all had the most amazing fun. We decided to stay at the Great John Street Hotel and what a treat it was – all tasted a yummy breakfast that I was so glad I didn’t have to rise and prepare! I so hope we might reach these awards next year – we think they should introduce a new category of Most Enthusiastic Attendees – we would definitely score there!
Northern Harvest has supplied me with some of their wonderful, delicious, extra juicy Amalfi lemons for this week's lemon curd, must make a few extra jars since my Mystery Shopper wrote 'The lemon curd was the best I have ever tasted and of an excellent consistency' I wonder if it is our lovely eggs that make the difference? Poor hens have moulted and are on a bit of a 'go slow', I keep slipping them treats of left over cake but I think these dark evenings are tiring them! The last of this year's fruit has been prepared and is in the preserving pan on the aga as I am writing...a quick check and the jam is looking ready to jar now…so we will speak again soon.
Sue
Whoops - only my second blog!
- 30 August 2007, 15:38
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Well, I have struggled with this blog - forgot my password! All sorted now and must keep up to date!
A different kind of summer has been enjoyed by us all this year. I do believe the ducks have enjoyed it but the rest of us….! However, the weather has not been good but the welcome is as warm and cosy here at Harrop Fold Farm as ever! Still, we do not holiday in England to enjoy the weather, our visitors have come prepared to walk and have not been put off. One family in the cottage loved lighting the cosy wood burning fire each evening since it was a novelty to them. The crackling noise and lovely smell of wood made for cosy evenings playing monopoly and enjoying quality family time.
Speaking of family, we have had a lovely summer, we managed a family holiday, which was wonderful, spending time together doing what we do at home – laughing, eating and drinking! Our son was offered a visit to the home of one of our guests from the USA and he enjoyed a week surfing and cooking out!
Alice and I spent a lovely day up at the Chatsworth Country Fair, it was so much fun, just as a Country Fair should be. We bumped into Alan Titchmarsh who watched smiling as we bought four new hens to add to our flock to increase the egg numbers. We struggled abit on the walk to the car; four hens can make quite a noise! They have settled really well and are incredibly tame. One pecked at Alice’s toes, pretty and pink from her holiday, thinking they were cherries!
Geoffrey Peacock has reunited with his peahen, and they are both lying in the garden as I am writing, he is looking lovely although has shed his tail feathers that are now sought after by our visitors. Meeting his real owner last week over a beer in the Highwayman it appears that Geoffrey returns home for tea and ambles back here for supper!
Had great fun with the jam making with fruits beg, stolen and ‘borrowed’ from our neighbours and friends, the decision making over which one to eat at breakfast is now delaying breakfast service. ‘Arthurs’ Damson jam is probably the most popular at the moment. Leah is making the most of the blackberries and her crumbles and pies are being enjoyed by all.
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Harrop Fold Farm
Macclesfield Road
Rainow
Macclesfield
SK10 5UU
T: 01625 560085
E: stay@harropfoldfarm.co.uk
