We may be about to head into a month of seeing red, white and blue around every corner but Farm Stay members Elizabeth and Derek from East Calder will have another reason to iron out the table cloth and hang out the bunting as they celebrate fifty years since they opened the doors to their bed and breakfast accommodation.
Ashcroft Farmhouse in Livingstone near Edinburgh has six five-star en-suite bedrooms and boasts award-winning landscaped gardens. It seems the hard work over the past fifty years has certainly been worth it as the bed and breakfast is one of only 25 b&bs from over 3500 entries to be shortlisted in the 2012 AA Friendliest B&B competition and Elizabeth tells me how thrilled they are to have their efforts over the years recognised.
The couple will join another Farm Stay member at an awards lunch on Tuesday next week where they will hear who will be voted as the Friendliest Bed and Breakfast of the year.
Best of luck to Derek and Elizabeth and huge congratulations for your Golden Anniversary, just 10 more years and you will be celebrating your very own Diamond Jubilee.
Andy
…well we’ll soon find out, as Farm Stay member Lorraine Allanson who owns Rains Farm in Yorkshire has been nominated for the AA’s Friendliest B&B of the Year Award 2012. Rains Farm is a collection of five self-catering holiday cottages as well as Bed & Breakfast and was first inspected by the AA in 2011. Following the inspection, Rains Farm was awarded 4 stars and given a special accolade for the quality of the breakfasts Lorraine serves to the B&B guests.
Rains Farm was one of 3,500 accommodation providers to be put forward for the award and joins just 25 in the finals. She has been nominated by guests so thank you to everyone who voted and fingers crossed for 15th May in London when the winners will be announced.
As well as this great news, some other good news came from Buckingham Palace with allocated lighting times for the Jubilee Beacons chain on 4th June. All Farm Stay members with a Jubilee Beacon will be lighting the beacons at 10.01pm – there is still availability so make sure you don’t miss out on the action.
Andy
- Lunch in the Orangery
Farm Stay members from the Heart of England were welcomed to Fishmore Hall near Ludlow by owner, Laura Penman, where she shared with us the journey from derelict shell to award winning hotel and restaurant in just 5 years. Following a delicious lunch in the Orangery head chef, David Jaram, invited us into the kitchen to demonstrate some of the hotel’s signature dishes and share a few cheffy secrets, including giving us some recipes.
Yet another example of the excellent experience you can enjoy in the Heart of England.
Wake up to the Heart of the Country!
- Chocolate Heaven
Everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed as Farm Stay member Hoe Grange Holidays in the Peak District has been nominated for a Sustainable Tourism Award in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. The awards are the highest accolade in English tourism and recognise businesses that incorporate best practice throughout their operation and also celebrate the very best quality and innovation, helping to raise standards across the industry and secure England’s place as a world-class holiday destination.
All the finalists have been announced and will now go in front of a national judging panel with the winners being announced at an awards ceremony in Leicester on 22nd May. Hoe Grange Holidays actively encourages guests to leave a lighter carbon footprint whilst staying on holiday in its eco-friendly log cabins. They draw water from their very own borehole, use ground source heating technology to keep the log cabins warm and use natural sheep wool insulation to prevent heat loss as well as a number of other eco-friendly practices. It seems well deserved to me so best of luck on 22nd.
Andy
I have spent my life in tourism, not farming, so I cannot tell you how excited I was to see my beans sprouting, my tomatoes breaking ground, my lettuce shooting and my sweet peas appearing! I bored most of my friends and colleagues with my first attempt at growing veg last year and this year has been even more of a success. Even if you stick a few things in a pot, the taste of home grown and freshly prepared food is just amazing! For now, I must wait patiently for the final frost to pass before I really start planting seed outdoors.
I have also got round to putting out some bird feeders – and found an old pair of binoculars to watch the birds. Already I’ve seen loads of house sparrows, but also a robin and a pair of blackbirds all coming to visit – more fun than sitting and watching the TV!
Which is why I just love being around the farms, small holdings and orchards that you find all over the UK within the Farm Stay network. Whether it is freshly picked fruit from the garden, home cured bacon for breakfast or hand-made sausages you just know you are in for a treat every time you go to the table. Give it a go – you’ll be hooked!
Andy
We have just discovered the South West Coast Path competition to find the best picnic spot in the south west. With so many members in the West Country – and a lot of those close to the coast path – it’s a real incentive to get voting so we can spread the word about these fabulous locations that are right on our doorstep.
You can even win a hamper full of West Country produce if you vote.
Happy Easter everybody
Andy
Week three of my regional meetings and this week it included a visit to Lifton Strawberry Fields which made a perfect location given the beautiful weather. I’ve seen some amazing things this week, lots of lush green fields, people in their gardens with sun hats on, lambs bouncing around in the fields and cows basking in the warm sun – I’ve had to take a minute to get back to reality and remind myself it is actually March.
Part of my tour this week meant a meeting at the beautiful Alkham Court in Dover. The Farmhouse in the Alkham Valley has won multiple awards for its five star accommodation; breakfast in the oak framed dining room looking out over the valley was perfect and being in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and perfectly located to visit the White Cliffs of Dover no wonder it was mentioned in a ’50 of the best bed and breakfasts’ feature by the Independent.
All the wonderful sunshine got members talking about Easter and the great activities they have planned for guests this year from Easter egg hunts and treasure trails – there is still availability so book now if you fancy waking up to the heart of the country this Easter.
Andy
Herriot’s Yorkshire Farm Stay Group met yesterday at Valley View Farm, for their Spring meeting. Kindly hosted by Sally Robinson, the members sat outside in the courtyard, what a beautiful day!
Alison Barnes said “Super for us to meet up, exchange views, update on Farm Stay matters and have a rare chance to spend a morning in the sunshine enjoying coffee and delicious baking whilst working – honestly! I prefer this form of social networking!”
It has been an amazing week – one which truly reflects why the UK has a great treat around every corner.
On Monday morning I woke up to a magnificent sunrise over the Ribble Valley in Yorkshire at Layhead Farm Cottages near Settle. I was lucky enough to be travelling to St George’s Court B&B at Home Farm for the Yorkshire Farm Stay meeting in the Yorkshire Dales – Ade Edmondson’s recent Dales programme has promoted the area magnificently but TV can never truly share the beauty of the area. On a sunny day the Dales were magnificent.
Tuesday saw me heading south to Blakey Hall Farm near Colne in Lancashire. Wow! I would move my family there in a heartbeat. Owner Rachel Boothman hosted our meeting around the magnificent breakfast table in the guests’ lounge. Its position alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal made for great, easy (flat) walking or cycling as well as terrific access to the whole of the North West.
That afternoon a pretty drive took me down through the Cheshire Plains, dropping by Churton Heath Farm, and on into the Welsh Hills near to Lake Vyrnwy. Cyfie Farm is always a welcome destination with magnificent views across much of mid Wales, which are particularly good when sitting in the hot tub! In fact, I would hazard a guess that there are very few hot tubs with such a view!
The following morning saw us heading for “Tree Tops”, just outside of Betws-Y-Coed. Our route included climbing from Lake Vyrnwy over the hills up towards Bala and, although a little scary at times, the views as we entered the Snowdonia National Park are fantastic. Tree Tops is a great place to spend a day using the aerial assault course or trying the parachute simulators – 106 feet for the braver among you. Full marks go to Mandy in the cafe for a fantastic local lunch and Sean for being a magnificent host – it’s a great set up and fun for all ages.
Thursday was a complete contrast when we visited Croome Park near to Pershore in Worcestershire. This magnificent house is being restored bit by bit by the National Trust and its Capability Brown gardens and park are outstanding. You can only imagine how the half (I always think that should be the other 1%) live!
Dover to Newquay next week!
Andy
Farm Stay members from the Heart of England paid a visit to National Trust attraction Croome Court for their Regional Meeting and achieved a first by having the meeting in a bedroom! The Chinese bedroom has the most glorious views over the parkland of this lovely estate, made all the more glorious by the sunshine on this glorious spring day. It was rounded off by a delicious lunch of Croome’s home made soup and bread rolls, followed by some diet busting cakes just too good to resist.
Our thanks to all the staff at Croome Court for their hospitality and allowing us to get to know another of the wonderful attractions in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside.
