Masterchef semi-finalist to write for the Stray Ferret celebrating district’s food

The Stray Ferret is delighted to introduce Yemi Adelekan who many will recognise from her success on BBC TV’s Masterchef last year. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing about her love of the district’s food  – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

My name is Yemi Adelekan, welcome to my food stories.

From food and restaurant reviews, highlights from county food events, recipe creation to dining experiences, farm to table and nose to tail cooking, allotment to combatting food waste, foraging, visits to market stalls and independent shops to showcasing diversity of flavours and ingredients, nothing is off the menu.

We live in a beautiful district with amazing food scenes; I want to showcase, celebrate and champion our community, people, food and what we have to offer through my food stories.

So here’s a little about me.

I am married and a proud mother of two wonderful young men. I grew up in Nigeria, moved to Nevis Island, West Indies for a few years before relocating to the UK where I forged a career in Banking and now Telecommunications.

I moved from West to South Cumbria, made a pit stop in Manchester, spent ten years in Lancashire and finally settled in Harrogate for the past decade.

All of these places and holiday destinations have influenced my food from Cumberland ring sausages, Lancashire hotpot to Yorkshire pudding. I came to Harrogate with the red rose of Lancashire and was gifted the white rose of Yorkshire; both plants have their pride of places on my front yard.

I have had a long-standing love affair with food, a passion for cooking and baking that led me to the Masterchef UK kitchen in 2022. From not daring to dream about being on the show, I ended up as a semi-finalist making it to the top 6 showcasing a fusion of my Nigerian flavours with other global food influences.

I was gutted to narrowly miss out on finals week but really grateful for the opportunity.  I didn’t know I could wee every five minutes until I went on the show and found nerves that were previously undiscovered.

My first food memories include me using tin cans and sticks for my ‘pretend’ kitchen, tasting my mum’s food as she put a little taster on my palm to being trusted to go buy an ingredient. I was never far from the kitchen and learnt by watching others like a hawk.

My mum didn’t allow me to be hands-on in her kitchen because she took pride in doing her own cooking but thankfully my dad believed that mistakes help to make us better people. He lived away to avoid a long commute and allowed me to cook whenever I visited him giving me feedback and what I definitely now know to be undeserved compliments.

Here’s what you can expect from me; personal, witty, open and honest food writing without any pretentiousness.

My goal is to make it just what you need to kickstart your weekend with a smile, bring your community to you, get you out with a little luck and encourage you to attempt new recipes.

I am a local who doesn’t get around enough so I need you to tell me what and where you want me to check out, what’s going on in your part of the county, also comment and share recipes you want me to try out.

If you have a wow experience that you would like to shout about from the roof top, then drop me a line so I can go sample and write about the experience.

Welcome to my food stories. I will see you next Saturday.

To read more about Yemi visit her website here.

Read More: 

 

Ex-Harrogate Lib Dem candidate jailed for abusing girl

Former Harrogate Liberal Democrat candidate Anthony Medri has been jailed for over two years for sexually abusing a teenage girl and paying her to send him intimate photos of herself.

Medri, 64, from Knaresborough, sexually assaulted the girl on several occasions and sent her a picture of an intimate part of his body, York Crown Court heard.

The Harrogate Borough Council candidate in 2015 also urged her to send him indecent pictures of herself, said prosecutor Shaun Dodds.

He said that Medri, who is married, had sexually assaulted the youngster by touching her on intimate parts of her body and kissing her on the lips.

Medri asked the girl on social media if she had “ever seen a grown man’s (private parts)”. He then sent her an intimate picture of himself and told her to delete the messages.

Mr Dodds said that in 2017, Medri started transferring money into the girl’s bank account and asking her what she was wearing.

This was followed by a request for a picture of her in her underwear and a promise to pay her £50 if she sent it. Mr Dodds said:

“She sent an image of herself wearing a bra.

“He had previously bought her some underwear…and asked her for photos wearing that underwear.”

The prosecutor said that between 2017 and 2019, £580 of payments were made into the victim’s account for intimate photos of her. Mr Dodds added:

“Sometimes she would also get payments in cash as well.”

Grooming process

Medri – who stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Lib Dems in the 2015 local elections when he contested the Stray ward – initially gave the girl money so she could treat herself, which the prosecution said was part of the grooming process.

He would tell the girl “to get yourself something nice”, said Mr Dodds.

The victim “wasn’t in a good place” at the time and she felt that Medri used this to take advantage of her difficult circumstances.

He bought her treats such as perfume, clothes, tobacco and vodka – along with a sex toy and told her to “try it out”. The victim put the item in a bin.

Mr Dodds said that on the occasions Medri tried to kiss the girl, she would pull away, but he would kiss her again. He once drove her to a remote location where he sexually assaulted her.

Read more:

Medri was ultimately brought in for questioning and accepted having asked for pictures of the girl in her underwear and that he had given her money, but initially denied sexually assaulting her.

A trial was due to be held but Medri ultimately admitted one count of intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in a sexual act, three counts of sexual assault and three counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child to become a prostitute or be involved in pornography, namely asking the girl for photos of herself in her underwear.

Mr Medri, of Forest Moor Road, appeared for sentence today when the court heard a harrowing statement from the young victim.

She said she had been left with the “overwhelming” feeling that she was somehow at fault for the abuse.

This and the fact that Medri had protested his innocence for so long had caused her “extreme anxiety”. She added:

“I don’t think I will ever get over what has happened. I think about it every single day.”

Carer for disabled wife

Defence barrister Jeremy Barton said there had been a “plethora” of character references provided by friends and family of Medri.

He conceded, however, that Medri’s offences, which occurred over a period of about a year, were “disturbing and worrying”.

He said that Medri, who had worked all his life and was now a carer for his disabled wife, had shown a “degree of remorse”.

Judge Sean Morris told Medri he should have owned up to his offences “a long time ago” and described his protestations of innocence until his belated guilty pleas as “gutless”.

He told Medri:

“For heaven’s sake man, why did you put this girl through all those months of anguish waiting for (what was expected to be) a trial. It’s gutless.”

He said that only an immediate prison sentence was appropriate for inciting a young girl “in a vulnerable position to sell pictures of (herself) for Medri’s “sexual pleasure”.

The judge said that Medri had taken advantage of the girl when she was in a “desperate state” because of her life circumstances.

Medri was jailed for two years and two months, but he will only serve half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Medri was also given a five-year sexual-harm prevention order to protect children and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years.

 

Couple deny defrauding Harrogate estate agents with £24m wealth claim

A couple have denied a string of fraud offences after it was alleged they dishonestly claimed to have wealth of £24 million to gain a tenancy on a house in the Harrogate district

John and Jacqueline Carnell appeared via video link from their home in Loule, Portugal, to face the charges at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 2014 and December 2018.

Mr Carnell, 70, denied 10 charges, including dishonestly making a false representation to Hopkinsons Estate Agents that he had personal funds of £24,172,421 to gain a 12-month tenancy agreement to rent a property named in court as Highfield House.

He also denied continuing to make false representations about his wealth, including being the beneficiary of a trust fund, to maintain renting the property.

Mr Carnell also faced a charge of being in possession of letters purporting to be from Barclays Wealth suggesting an account balance of between £24 million and £26 million “for use in the course of or in connection with a fraud”.

Meanwhile, the 70-year-old pleaded not guilty to changing names on cheques to his wife’s and presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons representing that there was sufficient funds to pay his tenancy, when there was not.

Mr Carnell also faced two charges of stealing cash transfers which were made for a specific purpose.

One count was in relation to £40,810 being made for the purchase of vehicles and another for £102,910 which was made for the payment of disbursements for a planning application at Archer Hill.

Read more:

He was also charged with two counts of obtaining credit without informing that he was an undischarged bankrupt.

The 70-year-old denied all charges.

Meanwhile, Ms Carnell, 73, pleaded not guilty to changing the name on a signed cheque to her own to induce Barclays Bank to accept it as genuine.

She also denied a charge of presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons Estate Agents representing that there was sufficient funds to pay the tenancy at Highfield House, when there was not.

Antony Farrell, prosecuting, requested that the case be heard at crown court due to the “long and complex” nature of the charges and the values involved.

The magistrates ordered both defendants to appear before York Crown Court on May 30, 2023.

Tim Milburn appointed headteacher of Harrogate’s Rossett School

Harrogate Grammar School deputy headteacher Tim Milburn has been appointed headteacher of Rossett School.

Mr Milburn has been at HGS for nine years, initially as assistant headteacher. He previously spent four years as director of personal development at Ilkley Grammar School.

History teacher Mr Milburn is also the designated safeguarding lead for Red Kite Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust with 13 schools. Rossett is expected to be the 14th school to join the trust when final approval processes are completed this year.

The move completes a circle for Mr Milburn, who studied at Rossett and left in the 1990s. More recently he has also been helping to cover acting headteacher Pete Saunders’ paternity leave.

Mr Milburn, who takes up the post immediately, said:

“I am delighted to have been appointed Rossett School’s fifth headteacher and I would like to thank the governing body for entrusting me with this privileged position.

“I have been fortunate to have already spent a lot of time in school, getting to know staff and students, and have been made to feel so welcome. This time in school has allowed me to see, first hand, the dedication, commitment and care of our staff. I have also met many students who embody the best of Rossett. They are responsible, resilient and ambitious to be the best version of themselves.

“This is a truly exciting time for the school. Rossett’s golden jubilee will allow us to celebrate a past where so many families, including my own, have been well served by the school.

“As the new headteacher I look forward to leading the next chapter of Rossett’s history, working in partnership with our families, in our pursuit of ‘success for everyone’.”

Tim Milburn has returned to the school where he studied

Richard Sheriff, chief executive of Red Kite Learning Trust, said:

“We are very proud of Mr Milburn and congratulate him for being appointed to this very exciting and important role. We are excited to be working with him as Rossett integrates into our trust and we know he will do a tremendous job in leading the talented team at Rossett.

“Mr Milburn and his team are ambitious for the school and are determined to ensure it delivers excellence for every child.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate school cleaner chops lockdown locks for charity

A long-serving Harrogate school cleaner has cut her locks for the first time in three years to raise money for children who have lost their hair through cancer.

Carla Del Sarto, who has worked at Ashville College for more than two decades, had not had her hair cut since the first covid lockdown.

But this week she had 33 centimetres clipped off in aid of the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and other conditions.

Carla kept her fundraiser and new look a surprise from her family and friends, until after she had her secret snip at Mandies Hair & Beauty on King’s Road.

She said:

“Childhood cancer is an illness close to my heart, having supported one of my best friends in our home country of Argentina when she sadly lost her teenage daughter, Macarena, to this terrible disease.

“Macarena decided to have her hair cut before she started her cancer treatment and also donated it to create wigs for those who had lost their hair.”

Read more:

Mandie Rushton, founder of Mandies Hair & Beauty, said:

“We are doubly proud to be able to support our friend Carla and such a worthy cause.

“We’ve been styling hair for women and men in Harrogate for more than 30 years – and this has been one of our favourite appointments!”

The big haircut, performed by stylist Sev Ivanov, is the latest in a series of ventures Carla has undertaken to support good causes since lockdown.

She joined Harrogate Scrubbers, a group that started making scrubs and other personal protection equipment for staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

Anyone wishing to support Carla’s fundraising can do so here.

Vodafone Pro Broadband x The Stray Ferret

This story is sponsored by Vodafone Pro Broadband.

What could be better than the fastest possible internet speed? Perhaps a free voucher as well as the fastest possible internet speed…

The Stray Ferret has teamed up with Vodafone to spread the word about its brand-new Pro Broadband connection. With a deal exclusive to the Stray Ferret, Vodafone are offering customers that sign up via our affiliate programme a free voucher in return.

Whether it’s Netflix buffering, your Zoom meeting glitching, or the PlayStation freezing mid-game, we’ve all been frustrated over poor broadband connection. Fear not, Vodafone Pro Broadband is here to answer the Harrogate district’s internet wishes.

Rather than using copper cables that slow down upload and download speeds, Vodafone use full fibre-optic cables every step of the way for connection, with download speeds of up to 900Mbps.

Loosely translated: your internet will be very fast.

What does it really mean?

Internet speed is integral to the day-to-day running of our society, but it can be a tricky thing to understand.

Broadband speed is measured in Mbps (megabits per second). The higher the Mbps, the faster your internet speed. The faster your internet speed, the more devices can be used at once under one roof.

How would this benefit me?

Maybe you’re a family with a smart TV, a gaming console and congested internet use. Maybe you’re working from home and looking for super speedy download connections; or perhaps you’re just wanting to rid your home of slow WIFI. No matter which one you are, Vodafone Pro Broadband could certainly help you.

Vodafone Pro Broadband uses full-fibre optic cables all the way to your house, with download speeds around 15 times faster than a copper cable connection — reaching a top speed of 910Mbps.

The stress of a slow internet speed will soon be a distant memory.

Availability

Vodafone Pro Broadband is already available to households across Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The full-fibre service will also be on offer to Ripon residents very soon.

Voucher Scheme

Stray Ferret readers can sign up using this link and will redeem a voucher up to £75 with either Amazon, M&S, Morrisons or The White Company. 

Find out more:

Visit vodafone.co.uk/broadband/pro-ii to find out more about Vodafone’s Pro Broadband.

Harrogate man jailed for ‘flagrant disregard for people and their property’

Harrogate man Cieran Bamford has been jailed for 16 weeks.

Bamford, 31, of Knaresborough Road, pleaded guilty to making threats to a named woman who feared violence would be used against her when he appeared in court on Tuesday.

Court documents state the offence was “so serious because the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property”.

Bamford was given a restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim until April 2028.

Magistrates in York also ordered him to pay £154 to victim services.

Read more:

 

Civic society backs creation of Harrogate town council

Harrogate Civic Society has backed plans to create a Harrogate Town Council.

A second consultation on whether to set-up a town council runs until May 5.

North Yorkshire County Council said in March the move would require 35,000 households to pay an additional council tax charge of between £40 and £60.

However, in its submission to the consultation the civic society said the establishment of a town council would mean key decisions could be made by local councillors “who live in the town”.

It added it would want to see the authority take on more powers over time.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

The civic society submission said:

“The society aims to celebrate our past, enhance our present and shape our future. We believe that this can best be done with a Harrogate town council, so key decisions will be made by local councillors who live in the town.

“We note the possible remit of the new council set out in the consultation document, but would like to see it have more of a role over time.

“This would enable opportunities to raise income, protect and enhance the key assets of the town, have a greater say in planning and development (through a neighbourhood plan), and promote a vision for the town which makes it a premier spa and floral town.”

Read more:

The group added it wished to work with the town council in future to “keep the town the jewel in the crown of North Yorkshire”.

Last week local Liberal Democrats came out in favour of the creation of a town council.

Eight Liberal Democrats, including former Harrogate borough councillors and current North Yorkshire councillors, signed a letter in support.

They said the move would enable locally-elected councillors to take control of assets such as off-street car parks, the Stray, Royal Hall, Sun Pavilion and Valley Gardens.

A total of 75% favoured setting up a Harrogate town council in last year’s first consultation but only 1,250 homes — 3.5% of those affected — responded. The low response rate triggered concerns about the validity of the response.

A second consultation into the creation of a town council will close next Friday (May 5). You can have your say here.

600-home Harrogate housing scheme to get shop and community centre

North Yorkshire Council has approved plans to build a shop and community centre at the 600-home King Edwin Park scheme on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate.

The development by Persimmon Homes is one of the largest housing projects to be built in Harrogate for many years.

It’s being constructed in stages with outline plans first given the go-ahead by Harrogate Borough Council in 2015.

As part of the original approval, the developer agreed to build retail and community facilities that residents can use.

Planning documents state the shop will be 201 square metres, which is a similar size to a small convenience store run by national supermarket chains. The community centre will connect to the shop and have a floorspace of 121 square metres.

They will be built to the east of the site where homes have already been put up.

Read more:

A new footpath link will be created to connect residents living at King Edwin Park.

The developer says it will plant flowers, trees and hedges amongst wildflowers and grassland around the new building.

It will also include 12 car parking bays and 12 cycle spaces. This is higher than what the guidance suggests but it the developer says it wants to avoid shoppers parking on pavements and inconveniencing residents.

Solar panels will be placed on the roof to generate renewable energy.

Planning documents state:

“The single storey design ensures that the retail unit and community centre is accessible to everyone including wheelchair users.

“The proposal would contribute to providing an accessible new community facility and retail unit for existing and future residents of the area including the housing estates located near to but outside of the wider development boundary.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Persimmon Homes if it has a tenant for the retail unit but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate bar offers free coronation cocktail to anyone called Charles, Camilla or King

Cosy Club in Harrogate is to offer a free cocktail to anyone named Charles, Camilla or with the surname King over the coronation weekend.

The bar, which is on Cambridge Street, is to release two limited cocktails for the celebrations which start on Friday, May 5, and run until Monday, May 8.

The drinks will be called Victoria Sponge and Coronation Cup.

Those who can provide ID to show they are called Charles, Camilla or have the surname King will receive one of the limited edition cocktails free of charge.

Enya Gill, head of brand at Cosy Club, said: 

“Three cheers for King Charles III!  We’re famed for our opulent surroundings and grand décor so I can think no better place to celebrate this historic event.

“We’re all looking forward to a long weekend full of fun, fabulous food and a drinks and cocktail selection even Buckingham Palace would be hard pushed to beat.”

Cosy Club in Harrogate.

Cosy Club in Harrogate.

The Victoria Sponge is a teacup cocktail with Hendrick’s gin, Pimm’s strawberry, vanilla and lemon served with a mini Victoria sponge on the side.

The Coronation Cup is a teacup cocktail with Hendrick’s gin, elderflower, lemon, coconut and orange served with a mini cucumber sandwich on the side.

The drinks will be on general sale for £6.95 each.

Read more: