Farmhouse Breakkie and Allen Banks

This weekend we decided it would be safer to go for food before the walk instead of vice versa- that way no missing any closing times. Last week a handful of great farm shops across the region offered “buy one breakfast, get the second for £1" to support Farmhouse breakfast week. (You can get offers like these by signing up to www.tasteclubhq.com). We chose Brocksbushes in Corbridge. A skiddy entrance in to the car park and we arrive off the A69. From the outside it doesn't look like much but inside is a maze of fresh vegetables, chopped wood, gardening things, dog beds and extra buildings tacked on. At first we couldn't even find the coffee shop, until we saw the grotto like entrance.

Inside is half a dozen tables and through a side door, a dozen more. It has a very quaint and country tea room feel, but I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable with the very obvious 50 year age gap between us and the other diners.

We ordered 2 full english's, smoked salmon and a bacon, sausage and mushroom bap (there was 4 of us by the way). Service was pronto and it all looked really good. Thick cut bacon, big juicy sausages, rich black pudding; all the usual offenders were there on the plate. The breakfast bap was as big as Sara's head and Anelise’s smoked salmon came as a very generous portion. All in all I would say it is a great place for a hearty breakfast that doesn’t feel greasy or unhealthy in the slightest.

We returned to the car with full bellies and ready for a walk in the snow; delighted to find that Toby hadn’t been sick in the car whilst we were inside (the puppy not an unwanted friend). We drove westwards to Allen Banks, about 20 minutes past Hexham. Parked up and set off along the footpath. We took the path to the right that headed up the bank. At the top you have a great view of Ridley Hall and its grounds.

Along we walked crunching through snow and throwing snowballs for the dog who happily chased after nothing. At the first fork we went left down to the river (if you go right there is a great little gazebo perfect for summer picnics.) You get to a pool in the river where it is wider and deeper. We have been known to swim here in the summer but in the winter it is still and quiet and you can even spot the odd solitary heron if you peer hard enough. 

It is about 2 ½ miles along the river allen before you get to a bridge to cross back over and return along the other side of the river. Up to the farm house and turn left up the road for 100 yards. You can extend this walk by going right here across the farm fields and up to an Iron age fort, but as it is winter and as we spent all morning eating we didn’t really have time.

This side of the river is much steeper and rockier but had the most amazing icicles. Make sure you turn left downhill once you see the swing bridge or you could end up walking straight past the car park. A beautiful winter walk.

Harriet and Alex

 

 

The Market Town

Northumberland has some of the most diverse and successful markets in the country, and consumers are increasingly seeking out these hotbeds of traditional and local produce. There is something wonderfully traditional about shopping at markets: the feeling at the heart of a beautiful town, the banter with the traders, the knowledge that your shopping is supporting small traders and local business. Northumberland has an abundance of thriving markets spanning the entire region, and they run year round.

Our artisan bakery, The Zen Baker, was established on the back of these markets, and continues to grow with the help and guidance of other producers and traders. We made a decision to grow our business organically, establishing ourselves at local markets.

This provides us with instant feedback from our customers, (so important for new businesses,) a chance to test out new ideas and recipes, and most importantly allows us to establish a base where customers know how to find us. One of the main reasons local markets are so important is that many traders simply cannot afford the overheads involved in establishing a shop, and markets provide some of the best avenues to interact with customers that small business has. The markets themselves act as a hub for producers who wish to sell direct to their customer and allow customers to put a face to the food they eat and the crafts they use. As Neil Brown, Market Manager for Morpeth says, “We have some of the finest food producers in the UK in Northumberland and you can buy it all direct at the market.” Whichever way you look at a local market - it is win/win for everyone.

For any visitors into the region, the visit to a local market is a wonderful chance to see the beating heart of a community. With each market we witness the support for local business, have the experience of traditional and unique products and we see the health, wellbeing and vibrancy of a town or village. We are very lucky to be growing our business in this wonderful setting, and we hope to see you at a Northumberland market soon.

Here are the regular markets in and around Northumberland:
Alnwick Market Place Thursday & Saturday
Amble Amble harbour Sunday
Ashington John Street Tuesday
Bedlington Vulcan Place Thursday
Berwick Marygate Charter Market Wednesday & Saturday
Blyth Market Place Tuesday, Friday & Saturday
Cramlington Focus DIY car park Wednesday
Haltwhistle Market Square Thursday
Hexham Market Place Tuesday & Saturday
Hexham The Shambles Monday to Saturday
Morpeth Market Place Wednesday
Ponteland Merton Way Friday

The Zen Baker can be found at a market near you! Check out dates and news at zenbaker.co.uk, facebook & twitter.

Photos are courtesy of Nicky Rogerson at NR Photography.

A Romance Writer’s Love Affair …

Whenever we have guests up from the south, I feel jealous that they are about to experience that ‘wow’ moment I had when I arrived here over thirty years ago. Before the end of the visit someone will invariably say - usually while staring out over yet another fantastic view -‘I had absolutely no idea this was all here …’

I can’t blame them. Before I moved to Northumberland, I had a very sketchy idea of the county. Now I am almost evangelical in my attitude towards the place and happy to bore anybody’s ear off about how wonderful it is.

It’s hard to remember what impressed me the most when I first arrived, although I know I was struck immediately by the light – on a clear day there’s a diamond sharp clarity that can’t fail to lift your spirits and I loved the freshness of the air. Sure it was a couple of degrees colder than I was used to, but it seemed a small price to pay. Another big plus was the people. The humour here is wry and self deprecating and the warmth feels genuine. The overall tendency is to include rather than avoid eye contact and sidle away.

The rich history of the place also pulled me in – the Romans, the Scots, the great landed families, the English Civil War – they’ve all left their mark with walls and castles, churches and bastle houses.

What really clinched it for me though was the wild, often rugged, nature of the scenery. There are clipped and managed places here, and very beautiful they are too, but it’s the untamed things I love the best. The places that offer a sense of space and freedom, from the high moors to the dark, pine-sweet forests and, of course, the stunning coastline.

 Ah, that coastline and those beaches. On the very best days the light is blond, the sea is blue, there’s a castle or a lighthouse somewhere in the picture and the sand is a great sweep of pale, soft yellow that rears up into sand dunes behind you. Even on the worst of days as the wind whips sand into your face and takes your breath away, and the spray flies off the waves pounding towards the beach, you feel alive and part of nature. And you’ll rarely have to lay down your towel to reserve a space.

So, my favourite beach? When the children were younger it was Alnmouth with its old-fashioned bucket-and-spade feel or Bamburgh for sledging down the sand dunes. But what about Warkworth, Embleton, the mighty Druridge Bay? They’ve all afforded hours of good walking, nature watching or just sheer enjoyment at being out in the fresh air with the taste of salt on my lips.

If pressed though, I would choose Low Newton.  I defy anybody who comes in by road not to be stunned by that first view as you clear the brow of the hill. It’s a cracking combination of sand, rock, grassy dunes, little beach huts and the great, ruined beauty of Dunstanburgh castle. Oh, and the pub is pretty fine too.

When I set my second book in Northumberland, I made some of the most poignant scenes happen on that beach and I had Mack, a dyed-in-the-wool southerner, completely bowled over by it.  I guess I wanted to show that original ‘wow’ moment that I had. Who knows, in the process, I might also have encouraged people who haven’t discovered the county, to give it a try.

Hazel Osmond’s second book ‘The First Time I Saw Your Face’ is set in Hexham, around Wark and at Low Newton. It’s available in paperback and on kindle. Her first book ‘Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe?’ was shortlisted for Romantic Comedy of the Year.

For more information visit www.hazelosmond.co.uk

The Golf Trip - First Impressions of Northumberland

Growing up in close to Manchester in the industrial North West, I guess my first recollection of Northumberland was hearing of the famous Charlton’s of Ashington. It seemed a dour place, more redolent of industrial hardship and Billy Elliott than anything. Indeed, in his autobiography Sir Bobby tells of enjoying playing schools football for Bedlington Grammar because the post match meals were better than those he was getting at home! But of course the past is another country; they do things differently there…

Wind forward some forty or so years and my affection transferred from Football to Golf and my first real golfing partner was a son of Morpeth, who had settled for work reasons in Manchester. Yet he always spoke fondly of home. Eventually we made the journey North together to play a couple of rounds and for him to proudly introduce me to East Northumberland. My pal’s mother lived in Morpeth, but we lodged with his close friend and amateur Northumbrian golf legend Sandy at his home in Pegswood (Sandy’s wife and child were away). I hadn’t ventured North of Newcastle before, and trips to Scotland from the North West were always via Cumbria, so this was new territory.

The weather that weekend was glorious. April warmth and perfect sunshine made our hour long trip to play an Open Competition at the Roxburgh, Kelso a wonderful journey in itself. The countryside was stunningly beautiful, and its role as border country brought home. Less wild than the West coast roads, more ordered, more scenic and all the better for it. The trip back in late afternoon sunshine brought home the glory of these surroundings. We spent the evening in Morpeth, visiting the superb pubs and bars in this pleasant, historic market town and enjoying a Chinese banquet too. A sporty gang, I was told of fierce local rivalries against Scottish opposition. Their pride in their home county was clear. Why, the place was so magical that even Harry Potter had been filmed at Alnwick!

Their evangelism appeared to grow at the sight of this willing convert. So the following morning we drove to the coast at Seahouses for a breakfast fry-up before they took me onwards to Bamburgh. The castle looked spectacular. Who were the Kings that built such a magnificent place? When did they do it and why didn’t I know about it? I was told of the heroism of Grace Darling and shown Holy Island (admittedly more of a fixture in my school history books). These experienced and well travelled golfers took me to Bamburgh Golf Club, which they said was their favourite and though we couldn’t book a tee, we took photos to record the trip with the superb beach and castle as our background.

For Golf that day we travelled a few miles north to Goswick Links, like Northumberland itself this is a hidden gem. From 2008 the course had become an Open Qualifier and no wonder. This was a pure golfing venue with superb greens. I was told the Goswick greenkeeper George Thompson was so highly regarded he was drafted in annually by the Royal and Ancient to prepare the courses for the Open Championship. Indeed, there was photograph of him in the Club House, head down and mowing a green at an Open venue with Tiger Woods in the foreground playing his practice round.

Modest – understated - excellent, for me this image was a metaphor for Northumberland itself. Whatever they taught Harry at Hogwarts, it would still fail to match the magic of this spectacularly beautiful part of England.

Guest Blog post by Michael Sweeney