Stray Foodie: Chicken & Oregano Patties with Mozzarella, Asparagus & Broad Beans

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

 

At this time of year when our weather seems to be cooler than expected, I am always delighted to see the resilience of oregano and experience the delight of this flavoursome herb.

Oregano is a flowering mountain herb related to marjoram, sometimes referred to as wild marjoram. It is a perennial and seems to be fairly resistant to our climate even though it has Mediterranean origins. Like most herbs, its flavour is in the leaf and can sometimes be more powerful dried than when used from fresh. It has warm, aromatic and sensual flavours and its leaves are just stunning when put through mixed salads. I love this herb and grow it in abundance.

This recipe is for Chicken and Oregano Patties. Once again this recipe can be built on and extended to suit your individual requirements.

For 4 Starter Size Portions, you will need:

Frances’ chicken and oregano patties

Method:

Bone out the chicken thighs and mince (or very finely chop) the chicken, ham, anchovy fillet, breadcrumbs, onion.

Mix well and add the lemon zest, pepper and the herbs.

Separate the egg, whisk the egg white until stiff, mix the yolk into the chicken mixture and lastly add the whipped egg white. The whipped egg white ensures that the patties are light and soft when cooked.

With a little flour, shape into small, round patties.

Put the olive oil in a small roasting pan, heat through and place the patties in the roasting pan. Give them a good shake so they don’t stick!

Put them in the oven on 180c – 200c, dependant on oven variation, for 20 – 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, take out the chicken patties and keep warm.

Place ½ pint of chicken stock in the still warm pan. Reduce by half with a squeeze of lemon juice and pour over the Chicken Patties.

Serve with sliced Mozzarella, Broad Beans, fresh Asparagus and Lemon Zest.

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Harrogate Election Day Guide: All you need to know

Election day has arrived and Harrogate residents are heading to the polls in what will be one of the most challenging ballots ever held due to pandemic restrictions.

There are just two top roles up for grabs – North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) and Bilton and Nidd Gorge county councillor.

The PFCC election was originally meant to take place this time last year but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak which has meant Conservative Julia Mulligan has stayed in the post for an extra year.

Ms Mulligan has held the role since it was created in 2012 and there are four candidates in the race to replace her including Philip Allott (Conservatives), James Barker (Liberal Democrats), Alison Hume (Labour) and Keith Tordoff (Independent).

Meanwhile, and unlike most areas, there are no full elections being held for all county councillor seats on North Yorkshire County Council.

This is because of government plans to end the county’s two-tier councils to make way for unitary local government, with elections to a new structure due to take place in May 2022.

There are, however, votes being taken for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat which has been left vacant since the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber in March.

There are six candidates contesting to take the seat including Matt Scott (Conservatives), Andrew Kempston-Parkes (Liberal Democrats), Tyler Reeton (Labour), Arnold Warneken (Green Party), John Hall (Yorkshire Party) and Harvey Alexander (Independent).

There are also no elections to Harrogate Borough Council but the authority is in charge of collecting votes and has announced a number of changes will be in place due to Covid-19.

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Voters at polling stations can expect one-way systems, social distancing, plastic screens and PPE for election staff. They must also bring their own pen or pencil, wear a face covering and sanitise their hands when entering and leaving.

Anyone who is unable to go along in person because they are self-isolating can apply for a proxy vote up until 5pm on polling day.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive at Harrogate Borough Council and local returning officer for the PFCC election, added:

“You do not need your poll card to vote, however, we encourage voters to bring it with them to make the process quicker and more efficient.
“Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 6 May. If you have opted to vote by post you must return your postal ballot pack by 10pm. You can hand it in at any polling station if you don’t have time to return it by post.
“Please also check the information on your polling card, as your polling station might have changed since the last elections.”

A number of polling stations across the Harrogate district have temporarily and permanently moved locations because of coronavirus restrictions.

The following have moved temporarily:
· All Saints Church School has moved to Sicklinghall Village Hall
· Baldersby Mission Room has moved to Rainton Village Hall
· Lofthouse Memorial Hall has moved to Middlesmoor Village Hall
· St Mary’s Church at Dunsforth has moved to Boroughbridge Methodist Church
· St Michael’s all Angels Church at Wilsill has moved to Broadbelt Hall, Glasshouses
· The Inn at South Stainley has moved to Markington Village Hall
· The Kitchen, Asenby Hall has moved to Rainton Village Hall
· Woodside, Carters Lane has moved to Askwith Village Hall
· Nun Monkton Primary School has moved to Kirk Hammerton Village Hall
· St George’s Social Club has moved to Marks Church Hall
The following three polling stations have also permanently moved;
· North Rigton Primary School has moved to St John’s Church, North Rigton
· The Hydro has moved to Jennyfield Evangelical Church, Grantley Drive
· Citizens Advice Bureau has moved to The Wesley Centre, Oxford Street

Voters must be 18 or over on the day of the election.

They must also be registered at an address in the area where they want to vote, be a British citizen, an Irish or EU citizen or an eligible Commonwealth citizen and not legally excluded from voting.

The election winners are expected to be announced on Friday 7 May. For more information go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/voting-elections

Two new covid cases in Harrogate district

There were just two new cases of people testing positive for coronavirus in the district in the past 24 hours, according to data from the NHS.

The total number of people who have tested positive in the district since the pandemic began stands at 7,680.

There have been no recorded deaths from covid at Harrogate District Hospital.

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The 7 day rate (cases per 100,000) in Harrogate is now the lowest in North Yorkshire at 16.8 – with the most recent data up to April 29.

The average in North Yorkshire is 26.5. Selby has the highest rate in the county – more than four time higher than in Harrogate at 71.7.

 

 

Would you abseil off the Crowne Plaza hotel?

Daredevils are needed to abseil off the 140-foot Crowne Plaza hotel in Harrogate to raise money for Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

The charity needs 15 brave volunteers to take the plunge off the top of the building, located next to the conference centre, on July 3rd.

Volunteers will need to raise at least £100 for the charity, which takes in and rehomes unwanted cats and kittens. The money will be used to pay for food and vet bills.

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Volunteers will get kitted out at the top of the hotel by trained staff, before lowering themselves down the side and back up at their own pace.

Yorkshire Cat Rescue, based in Keighley, found homes for 557 cats last year, and spent more than £100,000 on vet bills.

This is the charity’s second extreme stunt to raise money, after March 2020 saw volunteers walk on hot coals in a fundraising firewalk.

Harrogate district records four more covid cases

The Harrogate district has seen four more covid cases as the number of infections remains low.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

NHS England figures show the last death was recorded on April 11.

The number of patients who tested positive for covid and have died at the hospital remains at 179.

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The 7-day day rate of cases per 100,000 stands at 16.8 in the Harrogate District (latest data April 28) .

The North Yorkshire rate is 30.3 The highest rate in the county is in Selby where the 7-day rate is 101.5.

 

Debut novelist concocts a murder mystery in North Yorkshire

A retired woman from Harrogate has spent lockdown writing her first novel, Murder After the Matinee, which is now available in stores and online.

Lorna Snowden set the murder mystery in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Ashdale, which is loosely based on Ripon.

The book’s protagonist is Lydia Buckley, a divorcee who moves to the village and becomes the prompt for the Ashdale Players’ production of Aladdin. Shady business dealings, infidelity and a shocking killing ensue.

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Ms Snowden began the novel during the first lockdown and decided to retire so she could spend more of her time writing.

She said:

“The plot had been in my mind for quite a while but when lockdown started I just wrote and wrote. I wrote the entire book in two months.

“My daughter read it after I’d finished and said, ‘have you really written this?’.”

She was recommended to her publisher, Troubador, after an editor enjoyed the novel. She intends to spend the rest of her retirement writing a series to follow on from the first book.

Ms Snowden crafted the plot using her own love of pantomime and experience with the Pannal Players troupe.

Her previous experience of owning a bridal shop will influence her second instalment, Murder Before the Wedding, which she is midway through writing.

Murder After the Matinee is available online from Waterstones and WHSmith and is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.

Do you believe in ghosts? There’s a job for you in Ripon…

Do you believe in ghosts? Have a lively sense of humour? Can be a bit spooky?  If the answer is yes to these questions then the Ripon Ghost Walking Team want to hear from you.

The group is looking for new volunteers to take the unafraid on evening tours of the city.

The tours cost £3 per person, are held on the last Thursday of the month and all proceeds are donated to Ripon Museums.

Having stopped due to covid, the tours are to resume this month but a few members have retired so the team is looking for new recruits.

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Richard Pratt from the Ripon Ghost Walk Team said:

“We’re looking for someone who is out-going, can talk to people and judge their audience well. The ability to be spooky would be a bonus and you need a good sense of humour.”

The tour starts in the Market Square and takes visitors to the cathedral grounds to hear the story of a keen fisherman who drowned and is seen wandering around the area he is buried. It also encompasses the Workhouse Museum, which Mr Pratt said “was one of the most haunted places in England”  given its grim history.

The thoroughly spooked group ends back at Market Square in time to hear the Hornblower at 9pm.

The next tour starts on May 20 at 7.15pm. For more information on the Ripon Ghost Walks and how to apply to be a volunteer visit the Ripon Museums website.

The faint hearted need not apply.

 

Did you know? 

The Stray Ferret and the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) have worked with historian Malcolm Neesam to produce two fantastic audio tours of Harrogate.  Both last about an hour and are easy to do. The first will take you back to the golden age of Harrogate’s Victorian Spa days, the second will take you through the heart of the shopping district, stopping to learn about historic buildings as you go. To take a look click here. 

 

MPs watch: third jobs, dining on the Stray and vaccination passports

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In April, normality began to return to the district as retail, leisure and outdoor hospitality reopened. On April 9, Prince Philip died and the three district Conservative MPs paid tributes to him.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

 

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton.

 

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

 

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Stray Foodie: In search of the perfect loaf….

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

 

Having for years made my own bread domestically, I recently decided that it was taking up too much of my time that could be used more productively elsewhere.  I bought a bread machine, on the recommendation of so many of my friends but found having to poke the paddle out of the centre of the finished loaf exceeding naff and the appearance not good!

With the excitement of our hospitality industry opening up again, Harrogate has been amazing with venue’s like The Fat Badger, The Yorkshire Hotel, William & Vics and many more offering such imaginative and creative outside venue’s in which to consume well established great food and drink.

I came across Tilly Peppers up Cold Bath Road now run by a lady called Jessica and received such a warm and vibrant welcome.  A young creative menu serving imaginative Breakfast and Lunches.  Such as her Cowboy Beans with Pulled Pork and for Lunch her Falafel with Spinach and Mango Chutney.  Her lovely homemade breads are available to take away or eat in.  These breads are different flavours with imaginative fillings.  Quite delicious!

Homemade bread from Tilly Peppers

Across the road is Manna Bakery.   A very efficient looking and commercial shop where I bought a Sourdough Loaf that was perfect in every way, available alongside Croissants and happy looking Preserves.   Who needs a bread machine?

Sourdough from Manna Bakery

At the bottom of Cold Bath Road is Gron, a Scandinavian Café and takeaway, the name meaning quite literally Green.  It is now coming into its’ own unique style as the rules relax further. This is well worth a visit to experience a Beetroot, Avocado and Pickled Cabbage ‘Poke’ Bowl – eat out with a difference!  Or perhaps a Gron Breakfast Bagel with a Vegan Sausage Pate, Avocado, Mozzarella, Spinach and a Cashew Mayo.

These delightful young Cafés seem to be a new way of eating with good fresh ingredients and different breads, which is exciting and hope will soon give Harrogate a whole new culinary reputation.

Gron Kafe, Royal Parade

 

 

 

 

Harrogate hospital completes second jabs for frontline staff

Today is the last day of second vaccine appointments for frontline healthcare and social worker staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

Meanwhile, Public Health England has announced that only one more case of covid has been confirmed in the district, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 7,643.

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The district’s seven-day rate has declined slightly to 20.5. This is lower than the Yorkshire and the England rate, which both stand at 23.9.

No more deaths were reported in the district today.

The covid death toll at the hospital is therefore still at 179 in total.