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York-Settle-Carlisle Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

By on August 19, 2009 in Food and Drink, Yorkshire Trips and Places

This weekend we had a nostalgic trip by steam train with the Railway Touring Company.  Joining at Shipley the 12 coaches had already picked up passengers at York and Leeds so  engine no. 45231 had a full head of steam. We were just along for the ride and food but there were many ‘Steam Engine Buffs’ chatting away about times gone by and preservation activities they had been involved with.

After a ‘Full English Breakfast’ about 10 minutes out of Skipton the train ran out of water and ground to a halt 2 miles short of its water refueling stop at Hellifield. Consternation in the cab was no doubt allayed when the fire brigade came to the rescue running hoses across fields into the river Aire at Coniston Cold and pumping water into the tender. I have never traveled on a train that was one and half hours late yet most people were in a good mood about the delay. For our part it gave us time for a ploghmans lunch and drink on the train as we crossed Ribblehead viaduct through Dent station and on to Carlisle.


Firemen from the brigade, not the train, putting their pump into the river at Coniston Cold 18th August 2009. The engine driver had thoughtfully stopped by the bridge when he realised the problem. During the less eventful return journey to Shipley we enjoyed our third on board meal,  a full 4 course dinner, and  got to our station at 8.45 pm after a full day out.

The engine 45231 called ‘The Sherwood Forester’ is also used on the York to Scarborough summer private hire specials and if the trip is half as good as York to Carlise one then you would do well to treat yourself. The operator is Railway Touring Co.

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Whitelocks Turks Head Yard

By on June 23, 2009 in Food and Drink, Yorkshire History and Heritage

whitelocks

Leeds Pubs hide there light under a bushel or in a back yard in the case of Whitelocks. Run by the Whitelock family for 90 years during the 19th century Whitelocks was renamed from the original ‘Turks Head’ but the long narrow passage way where it is located is now named Turks Head Yard. And a ‘Yard of Ale’ is what you can expect or several yards of copper bar with numerous hand pulled and beer engine pumps to serve you a great selection of ales real and chilled. Beer at its best served in the old style. Whitelocks is worth a visit for the mirrors and polished copper alone but they have a long reputation as a luncheon bar and serve good Yorkshire grub. I remember being fascinated 40 years ago that part of a pub had white linen tablecloths and there were 8 tables similarly adorned at lunchtime last week. If you don’t want food with your drink go in an evening or drink outside in the long thin passage way that leads from Briggate to Trinity Street (back of M&S to people in the Man Creche).

I ventured in to Whitelocks last week as I remembered they had a toilet out in the yard only to find it locked and accessible only through the bar so I felt I must enter. With the drink I then consumed I put in more than I took out so to speak!

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Other Reviews
Whitelocks is Leeds’ oldest pub (1715) hidden in the depths of one of the city’s more obscure alleyways. Bizarrely, despite tourists and legless students alike struggling to find it, the pissed OAPs seem to locate their place at the bar every time……. the itchy guide goes on in similar fashion but it is aimed at the drinking student class (or is that skipping class).

A man walks into a bar! – ‘Ouch’
A dyslexic walks into a bra!
A ham sandwich walks into a bar and asks for a pint and a pickled egg – ‘Sorry we don’t serve food!’
A man walks into a bar with a lump of tarmac under his arm and says: “Pint please, and one for the road.”
Descartes walks into a bar and is asked “Would you like a beer?” Descartes replies “I think not” and woosh! he vanishes.
A Black Sheep walks into a bar. The bartender says, “We have a beer named after you.” The Black Sheep says, “Bob?”

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Whale Meet Again

By on June 15, 2009 in Food and Drink, Villages, Towns and Cities, Yorkshire Business and Money

whale

Whitby’s historical past is revealed in by the Abbey and the monuments that dominate Whitby’s east and west headlands above the harbour. For 84 years Whitby’s fishermen were engaged in whaling. The whale jaw bone arch on the West Cliff, pictured above, was presented to Whitby by Norway in 1963 (probably for having stopped Whaling and leaving it to Norwegians and the Japanese).

Whitby Whalers were doughty folk between 1757 and 1837 (when the last boat was sold). There is a full history ship by ship on Whitby Lad website.

Whitby Coastal Cruises now arrange whale watching trips and they claim ‘Minke whales are the main sightings but we have also seen humpback whales and an occasional pilot whale. Whales have been here for 1000’s of years, all that is new is that we are now taking the public out to see them.’

If you don’t mind queuing for Fish & Chips one of Whitby’s busiest restaurants is the Magpie Cafe but there are many excellent chippies around that offer great value for money. The ‘Whitby Whaler’ is now the eponymous name of fish and chip shops in Pudsey, Blubberhouses (why not) and other parts of the county. Poorpunsandbadbusinessnamesareus.com

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Skipton Gala & Pies

By on June 11, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire, Villages, Towns and Cities

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Skipton Gala Food
If you want Steak & Kidney Pie, Chips and Mushy Peas you will find it on the blackboards at the Dales Cottage Cafe behind Rackhams or more correctly on the plates inside.
Skipton and Settle based butcher Drake & Macefield’s traditional pork pie, ‘which has galloped away with a glut of awards in meat industry competitions’ will be available in Gala format on 13th June 2009. (My Uncle was a welder for British Rail in Skipton he used to put the top on Pork Pies.)
Copper Dragon Burgers are a temptingly on offer from the local brewery bar bistro. Washed down with Golden Pippin or Black Gold they are what your left arm is for whilst your right arm is busy.

Visitors Exercise
canal-trail
The Gala will be at Aireville Park from 1.00pm just at the left end of the map. In addition to the canal side walks Skipton is the base for many more good walks and forays.
An alternative to walking is to (Indian War) dance at the gala to ‘Custer’s Last Band’. The Lone Ranger will have his faithful side kick ‘Tonto’ jogging around the park throughout the Gala as he likes to keep his Injun’ running.

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Sam Smiths Old Brewery Tadcaster

By on June 2, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Business and Money

stout

I would like to tell you about the best beer in Yorkshire but I am still testing them all out. What I can tell you about is the best value for money beer brewed in Yorkshire (and therefore anywhere in the world). Tadcaster has been the home of great Yorkshire brewing since the monks of the 14th Century but in 1758 a brewing dynasty started to emerge. Started by David Backhouse and John Hartley The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and since 1848 bears the name of famous local brewer Samuel Smith.

In 1847, Samuel Smith, and his son John bought the struggling brewing business from John Hartley’s widow family. John Smith took over the brewery forming John Smith’s Brewery in the same year the railway arrived in Tadcaster. He was later joined by his brothers Samuel (Jnr) and William. However William bought Samuel’s (Jnr) half and moved the business to a new (John Smiths) brewery. Meanwhile, Samuel (Jnr’s) son Samuel Smith inherited the Old Brewery on William’s death in 1886, and re-opened the brewery under his own name. A reet family t’do I’d say.

So by 1880 there was John Smiths Brewery which went on to acquire 20 local breweries over the next 40 years before eventually succumbing to Scottish & Newcastle/ Courage et al. Fortunately Samuel Smith Brewery remained and remains today independent in ownership and spirit.

Now a-days, run by Sam Smith brothers Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith and Oliver Geoffrey Woollcombe Smith they are coming across as curmudgeonly by banning TV & music in their pubs (hurray), taking down signage and refusing to accommodate smokers in new purpose built units. The managers do not like the changes but it keeps the prices down and the environment drinker friendly. Old Brewery Bitter and Extra Stout (for the missus) are still both well under £1.50 a pint in Yorkshire and also the cheapest good pint you can find in London. See London Sam Smith below:
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KP Nuts – Peanuts from 1853

By on May 10, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Business and Money

kp-original

KP salted Peanuts can be dated back to 1853 in Rotherham and a firm called Kenyon Son & Craven. At the beginning of the 20th century the company had factories in Hull and Rotherham making jams, pickles and sweets. One early speciality was ‘Hercules Peanuts and Rasins’

Ever ones to spot a bargain Kenyon’s used to buy raw material from markets at the end of the day especially when there was a glut of a commodity. The early days were financially tight and it wasn’t until after the war in the 1940′s that things started to look-up. Hazelnuts became available in 1948 and a secondhand gas fryer was bought to cook the nuts. In the early 1950′s they supplied Bassetts with ground coconut and in 1951 were selling Roasted and Salted Almonds in see through packets retailing at 6d.

In 1953 a hundred years after the company started Peanuts took centre stage with the introduction of the aggressively price 2d ‘KP Nuts’. KP was named after Kenyon Produce and the branding and quality improvements helped drive rapid growth. By the end of the 1960′s KP Nuts were market leader and this attracted the big food company United Biscuits who bought out Kenyon’s when the turnover was circa £5million. By 1971 they were producing and selling 7 tons an hour to satisfy the nations nut appetite.

Odd bits about Peanuts

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Cravendale Filtered Milk

By on April 28, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Business and Money, Yorkshire Trips and Places

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Well to me filtered milk is not milk and Cravendale is not a Dale. But Branders can’t be choosers – Oh yes they can and I suppose this is a canny name from Arla Foods the Leeds based dairy food specialists. Filtered milk has had ‘the bits taken out’ so is it still milk or white water? One thing is sure it is better than the old Sterilized milk that came in tall crown Stoppered bottles or that cloudy plasticated creamer you get in little plastic pots.

Craven District

The Craven Museum in Skipton is well worth a visit followed by a cup of tea in the Organic cafe with real milk.
Craven District encompasses an area twice the size of Singapore and half the size of Luxembourg yet is one of the most sparsely populated areas in England to say nothing of being one of the most beautiful. One third of the Craven district is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The Craven District Council seems to be appropriate for the rural community it serves with Environmental, Planning and Leisure services for Skipton, Settle, Bentham and Ingleton amongst others. Some Council services are provided by North Yorkshire County Council.
The Craven Herald and Pioneer is the useful local media with a wide ranging whats on events guide from Belly Dancing classes at Craven College to Boxersise and Yoga.

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Terry’s of York

By on April 25, 2009 in Food and Drink, Yorkshire Business and Money, Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual, Yorkshire History and Heritage

terrys-of-york

What do an apothecary, confectioner and citrus peel importer have in common? When one of them was Joseph Terry you may make the connection to Terry and Berry the forerunner to Terry’s of York. Joseph Terry married into the partnership that had worked from 1767 and brought his Apothecary skills to the business with a factory in Brearley Yard and a shop next to the Mansion House.
Early products included candied peel, marmalade and medicated lozenges as wel as cakes and confections. In the early 19th century the conversation lozenges bore messages a bit like modern day Love Hearts such as ‘Can you Polka’ and the racy ‘Do you flirt’. After the arrival of the railway to York Terry was selling his Coltsfoot Rock, Jujubes, Gum balls and Acid drops to many towns throughout the country. (Price 52/- per cwt Mmmm a sweet price).
Joseph Terry died in 1850 but his 3 sons including Joseph jnr took the business forward building a Chocolate factory in Clementhorpe in 1887. The business grew through two world wars and remained in family ownership and management until 1960. It then passed through various corporate hands including Forte, Colgate Palmolive, United Biscuits, Philip Morris, Kraft and Suchards.
The family were civic minded and Joseph Terry jnr was Lord Mayor of York during Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. The war office recognised the value of chocolate for the troops before the first world war as being of benefit ‘…..on the march, at manoeuvers or any occasion when staying power is needed’. Between the wars new products were created including Spartan and All Gold.
Sadly in 2004 the production at York was stopped and transferred to Europe bringing an end to a proud Yorkshire food manufacturing operation.

Other products you may remember include Neapolitans, Twighlight, Waifa, and York Fruits. I am not sure this product below was quite the success of the Chocolate Orange that goes right back to the companies origins as peel importers. In fact I never saw a Chocolate Banana or the Chocolate Apple for that matter.
chocolate-banana
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Stout or Mild Ale

By on April 16, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire

yorkshire-stout

At 4.8% abv this stout will make you stout if you don’t watchout. It is too late for me but I dream of inventing a slimming beer one day but not too soon eh?
‘Rich black stout containing chocolate malt mixed with oats and wheat. Stoodley Stout has a rich and creamy roasted flavour with aromas of orange, citrus and berry’ says the advertising puff from Little Valley Brewery in Cragg Vale Hebden Bridge. Well my last pint was a good taste and I didn’t get much of the promised yeasty sediment (what there was went in my slug traps so they drown happy).
Little Valley is one of the new micro breweries and there is not much spit and sawdust about in fact all the beers are that modern ‘Organic type’.

What is Stout

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Bread Bred as Teacakes

By on April 15, 2009 in Food and Drink, Our Yorkshire

tcake
Now everyone is over Easter and the glut of ‘Hot Cross Buns’ I thought I would dust off an old chestnut ‘ Does a Yorkshire teacake contain currants?’  I am clear that a breadcake is plain usually flat and useful for lunchtime sarnies.  A teacake can also be, sans dried fruit, made into a savoury sandwich but is lighter and more cakey than bready. Many’s the ‘Drip Teacake’ I ate from the Ivegate pork butchers in the 1960′s when I was training.

A currant teacake is just that, a simple teacake with some currants, nothing more nothing less. A fruit teacake can have all manner of bits and pieces including my favourite sultanas. Both make a brilliant toasted teacake with lashings of butter.

A couple of years ago the Dalesman ran a discussion group on the subject and some contributions can be found here.

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