Mountain bike stolen from Harrogate garage

Police are appealing for information after a mountain bike was stolen from a locked garage in Harrogate.

It happened just before 1am on Wednesday, January 27, when the lock was broken on a garage on Tewit Well Road.

The green and black mountain bike was stolen. A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for information about anyone who might have seen a green and black mountain bike in the area around this time.”

Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Elizabeth Estensen, or email elizabeth.estensen@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210042876.

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Covid cases in Harrogate district rise by 53

A further 53 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today.

It brings the total diagnosed with the virus to 6,321 since the start of the pandemic.

The seven-day average rate of infection for the district has risen slightly to 292.9 per 100,000, compared to 284 yesterday.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average for the whole of North Yorkshire is now 273.3. Craven and Selby remain the districts with the highest rate in the county, each at just over 300.

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No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in today’s figures from Public Health England.

The latest figures show the hospital is currently treating 44 inpatients with covid.

Harrogate cyclist plans 24-hour challenge in aunt’s memory

A Harrogate man is preparing to take on a 300-mile cycling challenge in memory of his aunt, a well-known national radio broadcaster.

Simon Gregory will cycle from Harrogate’s Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre to the Southampton hospital where his aunt, the Rev Ruth Scott, was treated for lymphoma.

He plans to complete the 288-mile route in just 24 hours in June, which will mean cycling through the night on his own. Despite the scale of his challenge, Simon is a relatively new cyclist. He said:

“I got into cycling around the time Ruth died and when the UCI cycling was coming to Harrogate. A client entered me for the sportive and I raised £2,000 for Leeds Cares.

“From there, I realised the physical benefits and mental health benefits of cycling, which really helped me with my grief.”

Simon continued to ride and, having raised £2,000, began to wonder what he could do to raise even more for cancer charities.

One of several family members to go through cancer treatment, his aunt was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma which did not respond to normal treatments – though some long-shot options taken by her doctors did give better results. Throughout her treatment, Ruth and her family were supported by Macmillan.

Pause for Thought

Until shortly before her death in early 2019, Ruth was known as one of the voices of Pause for Thought on the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, first with Sir Terry Wogan and then with Chris Evans. However, Simon said her appearances were just one of the remarkable things in her life.

“She was a priest, and before that she was a clown in a circus. The first service she did after she was ordained involved a bit of fire eating.

“She never said no to a challenge and she spent a lot of time in the Middle East and North Africa, to try to increase understanding between Christian and Muslim communities there.”

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Ruth herself once cycled from Rome to Jerusalem, giving Simon even more inspiration for his challenge. He began training last year and has stepped up his mileage in recent weeks.

At the same time, he is juggling home-schooling for his two primary age children, and running specialist recruitment business GPS Return with his wife, Miranda.

“They’ve been incredibly supportive. These last couple of weekends, the snow has interrupted training but Miranda has still been encouraging me to go.

“For some of the rides, I’ve been out for 10 or 11 hours. Last year, they jumped in the car and had a day on the beach at Saltburn. I cycled up and met them there for 20 minutes then set off home again.”

The current lockdown restrictions mean Simon is staying closer to home: his next 100-mile training ride will be completed in laps starting from his Harrogate home.

Although he told his wider family last year about the challenge he was taking on, Simon has only just revealed it to friends. Now, he’s hoping to get as close to his £10,000 fundraising target as possible before he starts the challenge in mid-June.

To donate to Simon’s challenge, click here, or follow his progress on Instagram at @ruthscott24hr.

Stray Foodie recipes: The joy of oranges in January

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’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. 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.”

 

The Seville orange is prized for making British marmalade as it is higher in pectin than the usual sweet orange.

Introduced to Spain and many other parts of the world, but native to South East Asia, there are many varieties of this beautiful bitter sweet orange. For example some are used in essential oils and herbal medicines.  The peel can be used for the production of bitters and also dried, ground and candied.

Seville oranges

There is just so much you can do with this wonderful orange as well as the much publicised British Seville orange marmalade that we make at this time of year. Some recipes seem to me to be very complicated with others being relatively simple. The red orange is far more beautiful to look at but in my opinion does not have the versatility of the Seville. The Seville’s depth of flavour it is a wonderful accompaniment to fish, meat and vegetable dishes.

 

For a classic Seville Orange Marmalade:

Ingredients

 

Method

Wash the oranges well and place in a pan with approx. two litres of cold water. Cook slowly whole.

When cool, remove the oranges from the liquid, reserving the liquid. Cut the oranges in half, spoon out the inside of the orange and place in a piece of muslin. Tie with string forming a bag.

Shred the orange and place back in to the reserved liquid. Add the sugar and the muslin bag and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil for approx 10-20 minutes until it sets.

To check is has set, drop a little of the marmalade on to a saucer with a drop of water and it should wrinkle. Remove the muslin bag and discard.

Place your marmalade in sterilised warm jars.

 

For a Red Orange Gel

Ingredients

Method

Zest one of the oranges and juice all. Add all the ingredients together. Reduce by half, making a syrup, and pour through a sieve. Add the teaspoon of agar for a gel, or just use the syrup.

 

Cheese Fritters with a Red Orange Dressing

Ingredients

 

Method

Place the flour in a bowl with the spring onions and baking powder. Season.

Add 2ml of cold water and mix together to form a batter. Stir in the grated cheese and chopped thyme and parsley.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan and drop the fritters in as if you were making scotch pancakes.

 

To make the dressing:

Beat all ingredients together.

 

Serve the fritters with a salad of your choice – avocado, crunchy leaves, red chicory and finely diced fennel is delicious. Lastly, your red orange gel and dressing.

 

 

Harrogate radio station finds new home

A radio station in Harrogate has found a new home thanks to a partnership with a local business.

HG1 Radio has set up a studio in Doors Direct’s showroom on Claro Road, ready to welcome its team when covid restrictions allow.

Once the studios have been fully commissioned and tested, the presenters will be able to host their shows ‘live’ from the new base.  Managing director Dave Parker said:

“As soon as we are able to do so, we will be operating very much on an ‘open house’ basis for other local businesses and community groups to pay us a visit to see how everything works and to meet the team behind the station.

“It is frustrating that we can’t hold a launch event open day at the moment – but rest-assured the invites will be going out just as soon as it is safe and sensible to do so.”

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HG1 Radio has been on the air since July 2020, with its presenters currently working from home studios. It broadcasts online and via apps and media players, but is hoping to move onto DAB in the future.

Doors Direct, meanwhile, has been based on Claro Road for 21 of its 40 years in business. Owner Sean Clarke said he was looking forward to allowing customers to see the new studio, which includes some of the company’s products in its construction. He added:

“It is really exciting to have a radio station based within our business. It adds a whole new dimension to everything – and I’m looking forward to being able to show it off to customers and other businesses.”

15,000 sandbags deployed in North Yorkshire as storm arrives

Communities across the Harrogate district are on stand-by for flooding as Storm Christoph continues to bring persistent rain to the region.

With water levels set to peak in the early hours of Wednesday, home owners and organisations are watching to see whether rivers will rise enough to burst their banks and inflict damage on property.

In Boroughbridge, the Emergency Response Team (BERT) is ready to take action if the River Ouse rises above the predicted peak. Group leader Pauline Phillips told the Stray Ferret:

“At the moment, it’s just a watching brief. We can look at the telemetry online, which is very helpful, and I go down to the river and check the level as well.

“It’s looking like it will peak tomorrow morning at about 14.5m. We know if it gets to 15m it starts to come onto the road.”

The volunteers at BERT are standing ready to act if needed, and awaiting any warnings from Harrogate Borough Council’s emergency planners. Anyone in need of help can visit the Boroughbridge Town Council website.

Sandbags deployed

North Yorkshire County Council has deployed more than 15,000 sandbags – double the usual amount – and its highways team has been clearing drains and gullies.

Cones, barriers and signage for road closures have been distributed across the region and are ready to be used when necessary.

Highways staff are monitoring key routes, including Kex Gill and Blubberhouses.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson urged motorists not to take chances driving through flood water, adding:

“Just 60cm of standing water and 30cm of flowing water can be enough to float/move your vehicle. So please don’t take the risk!”

A yellow weather warning is in place across the Harrogate district, lasting until Thursday lunchtime. An amber warning for heavy rain which could result in damage to property or even danger to life applies to the southern and western edges of the district, including parts of Nidderdale.

On stand-by

The community in Pateley Bridge, which was hit by flooding last February, will also be watching levels on the River Nidd over the coming hours. The Environment Agency issued a flood warning and a flood alert for the river this afternoon.

Town councillor Ian Skaife, who leads the Community Resilience Committee, said this afternoon he did not expect there to be any major problems — but he will be watching the weather and river levels overnight.

“There’s plenty of capacity in the river at the moment. The unknown factor is what rain is coming down further up the dale. With the snow melt from the weekend, all three reservoirs will be full to capacity.”

Cllr Skaife said the amount of rainfall today should not be enough to overwhelm the rivers, but he and fellow members of the resilience committee will remain on stand-by in case they are needed as the storm continues.

Meanwhile, residents in Knaresborough will also be waiting anxiously to see whether the heavy rain causes the lower River Nidd to rise. Those living on the caravan park at Archers Meadows, just off York Road, are watching again as waters rise, after repeated flooding on the site over recent years – including water getting into several homes on Boxing Day in 2015.

Flood prevention measures have been introduced in the area, but residents have questioned their effectiveness as the water continues to rise rapidly in heavy rainfall.

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Council calls for free parking for hospital staff

Pressure is mounting for NHS staff to be offered free parking after North Yorkshire County Council wrote to the chief executive of Harrogate District Hospital.

NYCC chairman Jim Clark wrote to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) to ask it to “actively consider” reinstating free parking for staff.

The hospital had previously allowed staff to park for free between late March and September, in recognition of the challenges they faced in the early months of the pandemic. The lost income was supplemented by the government as part of a national scheme.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret about the letter, which he had also sent to other trusts across the county, Cllr Clark said:

“It’s a cross-party issue with unanimous support and it was right, as chairman of the council, that I sent the letter.

“It shows how much the people of not only Harrogate but of North Yorkshire are very grateful for all the NHS does. To charge them to park is a bit of an anomaly.”

The letter also asked the trust to look at options for sustainable travel to help reduce its carbon footprint. Cllr Clark offered NYCC’s help in introducing schemes which would support staff to use environmentally friendly methods of travel.

It took almost five months for the wording of the letter to be agreed, after first being proposed in July by Cllr Geoff Webber, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on NYCC.

He called for councillors to ask all hospital trusts in North Yorkshire to offer free parking, but an amendment was proposed by Cllr Richard Cooper, who represents Harrogate Central for the Conservatives, to remove references to free parking and instead support and encourage “measures which enable staff to travel to and from work sustainably”.

The final version of the letter, which was drafted through the county council’s scrutiny process, includes both the call for free parking and support for sustainable travel. It received the backing of all councillors in November before it was signed and sent by Cllr Clark this month.

Cllr Webber said:

“Many hospital staff put their lives at risk for the community every working day and to charge them over £50 per month to park on site at the hospital, particularly when we are all discouraged from using public transport, is disgraceful.

“The cancellation of parking charges for staff would be a small gesture to show the gratitude of the management and the community.”

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After reinstating parking charges in September, HDFT told staff in December it would donate the £50.50 per month from each staff member to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity, to be used for a staff health and wellbeing fund.

However, some staff were unhappy about the charges and asked to opt out of the scheme. One frontline worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret:

“It feels like a kick in the teeth after all we’ve been through in 2020. We were busy before Christmas but right now it’s manic and we feel we deserve this money back.”

In response, a spokesperson for the hospital trust said:

“Parking charges were suspended in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic when regular services were completely cancelled. The Trust made the difficult decision to reintroduce charges when normal services resumed in order to protect the very limited space available, and ensure parking was as stress free as possible for patients using our services.

“We do understand the challenges for staff but we believe it would be unfair for the benefit of free car parking to be limited to those with a car parking pass. This is why we have made the commitment that monies raised from staff car parking will be reinvested into the staff welfare fund. This will be specifically used to benefit colleague health and wellbeing all across the Trust. Where it is invested is being decided by a staff group.”

The Stray Ferret contacted HDFT this week about the letter from NYCC. The trust said it had nothing to add to its previous statement.

Flood alerts issued as heavy rain forecast for Harrogate district

Residents in areas prone to flooding across the Harrogate district have been urged to be ready for rising waters this week.

The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert for residents around the lower River Nidd today, as snow further up the river melts rapidly.

Areas around Cattal, Tockwith and Kirk Hammerton could all be affected as water levels rise today.

The warning says roads and farmland could be flooded as the river reaches its peak, along with tributaries including Sand Beck, Sike Beck, Pool Beck and Great Gutter. The warning says river levels in the upper catchment have already peaked.

The Environment Agency said:

“Please be aware that further rain is forecast from Tuesday, January 19. We are closely monitoring the situation and our incident response staff are checking defences. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.”

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued yellow and amber warnings of heavy rain across North Yorkshire. Coming into effect from the early hours of Tuesday morning and lasting until Thursday, they warn of fast-flowing, deep floodwater which could pose a danger to lives.

Homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to buildings, and some communities could be cut off. Power cuts, road closures and disruption to public transport are also likely, the Met Office said.

The Stray Gardener: On your marks, get set, grow!

The Stray Gardener is written by Rudding Park’s Kitchen Gardener, Fiona Slight.

Fiona has worked in horticulture for over 30 years in the UK and abroad, and specialises in growing fruit and vegetables for fine dining. 

 

 

January weather getting you down? Here are five things I do to take my mind off those dull dark days, and to ensure things are raring to go when the weather improves and we have more motivation to get outside.

1. Grow what you like
At home, I only grow what I know we want to eat.  Choose your favourite fruit and vegetables and if you think any of them will be difficult to grow, have a go anyway!  Research well before starting, as this gives you a far better chance of success.  If you have room, soft fruit is always an easy and very productive choice.  Soft fruit can be very expensive even in season, so if you can grow your own, not only have you reduced food miles, you’ve saved money too.  Most soft fruit freezes or preserves really well and has a multitude of uses at any time of year.

2. Get organised
Decide when and where things are going to grow, think about successions and using your space to grow the maximum number of vegetables – especially important in a small space. Don’t just think about summer, try to plan ahead for winter crops that will be ready to harvest in early spring the next year.

Make a plan for your 2021 planting

3. Be floral – Remember to add some flowers too. Not only are they pretty, they entice pollinating insects and many types of predators that will help to protect your precious crop.  Flowers such as Violas, Nasturtiums, Sweet Alysum and Sweet Rocket are also edible and help to finish off a plate of food beautifully. Sweet peas (not edible) and Dahlias fit in a Kitchen Garden really well, and also provide beautiful blooms for cutting.

4. Clean – Tidy out your shed, wash pots, clean labels to re-use, clean tools. If everything is clean and ready to go, it saves time later in the year when you are most likely too busy to do it.  Clean your green house if you have one, it makes a big difference in winter and early spring to have clean glass to let in optimum light levels.  Use garlic candles, which are a more environmentally friendly way to kill off any overwintering pests, such as aphids and red spider mite that may be lurking in there.

Apple blossom

Apple blossom will soon be in bloom again

5. Reflect – Take stock of your garden, slowly wander round looking at what you have, are you still using the fruit you put in? Does anything need lifting and dividing in Spring, such as Rhubarb.  Do you have any room for a fruit tree?  If so, order a bare root tree, they are much cheaper, and you get a lot more choice than you do with container grown trees.  Lastly, how can you entice more wildlife in to your garden, this is not only more beneficial to the environment, but can help with controlling unwanted pests in your garden.

Remember, better weather and longer daylight hours are just around the corner!

 

Stray Foodie: Rhubarb! Rhubarb!

Frances Atkins headshotStray 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’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. 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.”

 

January is rhubarb time in Yorkshire. The Tomlinson family have been growing forced rhubarb in Pudsey, West Yorkshire for four generations. It is known as the Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle with excellent growing conditions. The plant is initially grown outside and subject to a specified number of frosts. Each winter acres of Rhubarb plants are transferred into long nursery sheds to be forced. Harvested in the dark by candle light according to an age-long tradition. The stalks are almost fibreless and bright pink in colour and has the most amazing flavour, unlike the rhubarb we get later in the year which can often be green and tough – this is not! It is one of the colourful joys of January.

Rhubarb

Fresh local rhubarb is one of the joys of January

My Grandmother had a larder and as a child it sticks in my memory and was a source of inspiration. It was full of colour with bottled fruits of every variety, preserved in the summer to be enjoyed in the winter.

Japanese cuisine that is so fashionable contains a lot of preservation of varying sorts. Pickling, fermenting, smoking and drying, all to achieve the wonderful fifth taste, as has other culinary cultures, which brings to mind the preservation of this great January ingredient Yorkshire Rhubarb.

Here is a recipe for a rhubarb dessert and a pickled rhubarb. Sweet and Sour, you have your choice.

For the pickling liquor:

Ingredients

100g Sugar

100g White wine Vinegar

The zest of 1 Orange, 1 Lemon and 1 Grapefruit

10g Ginger Root

Method

Place all ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil to make a pickling liquor.

Bring to the boil and add a couple of sticks of chopped Rhubarb, take off the heat and cover with cling film until cool.  When cool, remove the rhubarb from the pickling liquor and serve with cold meats, pates, cheese etc.

For the Rhubarb Semi Fredo:

A semi iced mousse, which is extremely useful as you can use it to embellish other puddings.

Ingredients

175g Rhubarb Puree – for this you will need 7 sticks of rhubarb and 250g sugar.  Add the sugar and the rhubarb to a pan, cover with cling film and cook slowly until it falls and drain of the liquid and reduce to thick consistency. Put through a food processor until smooth.

20g White Wine

40g Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

170g Whipped Cream

Method

In a bowl over a pan of hot water, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and wine to a thick mousse like consistency over a gentle heat. Fold in the rhubarb puree and whipped cream. Pipe or spoon into finger moulds and place in the freezer.

As you will see from the image, decorate your Rhubarb Semi Fredo fingers with whipped cream, poached rhubarb, donuts, jam, tuille biscuits, and a little chilli should you feel adventurous!

Rhubarb semi fredo by Frances Atkins

Rhubarb semi fredo by Frances Atkins