Country Living Christmas Fair returns to Harrogate

The Country Living Christmas Fair is back in Harrogate today, with thousands of interior-lovers set to get into the festive spirit at the four-day event.

Held at the town’s convention centre, the popular event, which was cancelled last year due to covid restrictions, features a programme of talks, demonstrations and workshops.

It also supports small businesses, with more than 300 stalls from artisan makers.

Marketing executive Harriet Hayes said:

“From the practicalities of sourcing one-of-a-kind gifts and the latest trends in home interiors, to inspiration for your festive feast. The fair offers it all under one roof.”

The event, which takes place from 10am to 5pm from today until Sunday, will offer a selection of interiors, handcrafted gifts and food stalls, which will include local produce. There will also be a champagne bar.

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Alongside the exhibition, there will also be a live programme in the Country Living theatre and Christmas kitchen. Festive advice and inspiration from leading professionals and cooking experts will be on offer.

Chefs include BBC Masterchef 2021 winner Tom Rhodes and Rudding Park demi chef, Ben Wright.

Harriet added:

“From Christmas canapés to showstopper desserts, in the Country Living kitchen our celebrity chefs will share their top tips and festive favourites for you to make at home or pick up inspiration.

“On the stage, there will also be advice on seasonal trends, how to decorate the perfect Christmas tree, festive wreaths, the Christmas dinner table and much more.

“You will also be able to roll up your sleeves and get creative in one of the many hands-on workshops sessions hosted by crafting experts and makers, who will lead you through a range of interactive sessions.”

 

Stray Kitchen: Chefs getting back to normal… if there is such a thing!

Stray Kitchen is our column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie is a champion of food produced in the UK and particularly in Yorkshire and the Harrogate district. 

 

 

As the Hotel & Restaurant industry and catering outlets dust off their aprons, I keep hearing fellow chefs saying “It is great to get back to normal”.

I am not sure many chefs I know are normal! I mean that as the utmost compliment – but myself and my comrades are anything but…

These past few months have been the toughest, and I’ve been hearing that many hospitality people have become disillusioned with the career and perhaps gone to do something completely different – but as a town that thrives on being hospitable, Harrogate and the food it produces needs its chefs.

Where have they gone? Some may now be drivers, carers, and shop workers or just loving having Saturday nights with their family.

Chefs are an unusual breed, as I said before. Anyone who wants to put themselves under pressure like that and thrives on it perhaps needs their head testing- but we love it.

As the final for Great British Menu gets underway this week and the chefs are in a boiling pot of creativity and competing – it makes me think, chefs will always want to create and compete and push themselves. Perhaps the chefs of tomorrow are creating in their home kitchens and making tea for their family’s tonight. Good luck to them and know that a challenging, yet promising and rewarding career is still out there. If you are a Chef that has wondered if it’s time for a change, I say wait: remember the creative side, the passion and the fun that the kitchen can bring.

Our normal IS coming back!

Being a chef is in your blood, and there’s no denying we love it.

Happy Cooking

Steph x

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Stray Kitchen with Stephanie Moon: It’s Apple Time

Stray Kitchen is our monthly column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie studied at Craven College, Skipton. She then did a work placement at London’s five-star hotel/restaurant, The Dorchester. Stephanie was offered a full-time job, where she worked for world-famous chef, Anton Mosimann. 

In the spirit of Autumn and Halloween, Stephanie’s first column will be talking about the delicious ways of using apples in various dishes.

 

I love this time of year. Our region has a real history with the Great British Apple. Did you know the Ribston Pippin was grown back in 1708 from apple pips which were sent to Henry Goodricke of Ribston Hall? This was the runner up of the Cox’s Orange Pippin.

In Little Ribston, there is still a Ribston Pippin tree growing in the grounds. Nick Smith, the Director of the Harrogate Flower Show, took me along to cook the apples under the tree years ago. This was filmed for Look North. I created my version of an 18th Century recipe ‘A Fraze of Pippins’ (basically a batter-like pancake, heavy on the spices with lots of apples). It was great fun.

Do you have an Apple glut?

My advice is to invest in an ‘apfelschaler’; a plastic contraption (you can get metal ones too) that peels an apple in seconds whilst you wind the handle. When you literally have kilos to peel it really helps.

The apfelschaler peeling an apple.

My Dad gets given boxes of apples and I help him to cook through an apple mountain (not even an exaggeration). We peel, cook the apples and place them in take away pots, lots of apple sauce, and freeze them. I now have a whole shelf of apple sauce in my freezer that is not mine.

Chutney made with apples is mind-blowingly good and great for Christmas gifts. If you make batches it becomes easy (just watch out for apple volcanos), then you cook the chutney as a hit with some boiling hot apple chutney will smart.

But perhaps you have no apples?

If you are lucky enough to look around villages surrounding Harrogate, they give them away for free by the side of the road. Local farm shops and fruit and vegetable shops have fruit racks that are groaning under the strain with every variety – much better than the supermarket fruits that can sometimes be months old.

Stephanie cooking.

There is always the plan to let someone else do the work. Nothing beats an Elite Meat pork and apple burger, a Taylor’s apple cinnamon tea or a Rosebud Preserves wild crab apple jelly.

Can you Adam and Eve it?

Till next time!

For more information on Stephanie Moon’s career in food click here.

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Knaresborough competition to inspire young chefs

A Knaresborough pub has launched a young chefs competition to inspire the next generation of foodies.

Six Poor Folk has invited anyone between the ages of 11 and 16 to design their own small plate using seasonal produce.

The winning entry will be featured on the pub’s menu throughout October. The pub is organising a celebrity chef to judge the dishes.

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Thousands of chefs leave the profession every year because of tough working conditions. But the pub is trying to stem the tide.

Ashleigh Lambert, one of the owners at Six Poor Folk, told the Stray Ferret:

“When you are young it can make a big difference to win a competition like this. It could inspire them to carry on in food. It could inspire people like Harvey. He is working in our kitchen part time and really enjoying it.”

Ms Lambert said she had seen a high calibre of entries already but she urged as many people as possible to get involved.

Anyone interested can send their pictures and recipes to Six Poor Folk via email by clicking or tapping here.