Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food and sharing cooking tips– 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.
Summer is always agog with loads of food festivals and I was looking forward to the Harrogate Food and Drink Festival this year. It’s always exciting to see the range of local artisan products from charcuteries, honeys, chilli jams, chutneys, balsamic vinegars to different bakes and cakes.
I got to sample salt from Yorkshire Sea Salt company and was privileged to get my hands on one of their upcoming products. The salt was quite intense in flavour and a little goes a long way; the texture is perfect for crumbling between fingers, adding to salt grinders or used as a finishing salt. Richard explained their process and how it differs from other companies’ processes. I found someone who was as passionate about salt as I am.
I tasted some incredible balsamic vinegars – original flavour, white balsamic, pomegranate balsamic and apple balsamic – and I could immediately see how they could elevate marinades, salad dressings or be used to finish roasted vegetables.
Highlights from the two day event included the food demonstrations by various chefs including Scott Masey from Leeds Cookery School, Stephanie Moon from All Things Food, Owen Diaram from MasterChef UK 2023, Whaheed Rojan from Round Table Dining, Babna from Babna’s Patisserie, Norman Musa who is a chef, author and TV host, award winning Bobby Geetha from Fleur in Leeds and I get to throw myself into that mix as I did a demo on the Saturday.
What I love most about the demonstrations is the diverse and eclectic range of dishes from summer spring rolls celebrating the produces from Rudding Park Hotel Gardens by Stephanie, surprising Asian prawn noodle dish from Bobby, spicy Malaysian curry from Norman, cooking with whole chicken and chicken curry from Scott, Turmeric rice, Massaman Curry and Salmon rolled in seaweed dish from Whaheed, Mongolian sweet chilli chicken with sticky Jasmine rice from Owen and my Nigerian Jollof rice, fried plantain and Salmon with a red sauce.
The dishes were a celebration of flavours and cultures with surprising twists.
Desserts included Brioche soaked in berries from Steph and show stopping Paris-Brest, a French dessert made from choux pastry and praline flavoured cream from Babna. She created two flavours including the traditional hazel nut and almond version and a more modern one with pistachios and rose petals.
Taking part in the demo gave me an opportunity to talk about some incredible spices that aren’t commonly used such as Grains of Selim and Grains of Paradise.
Grains of Selim known by many names including African pepper, Negro pepper, Guinea pepper is from the seeds of the shrub Xylopia aethiopica and it has a musky flavour. This is toasted to release the aromas and features in Nigerian Jollof rice, pepper soup and other stews.
Yemi’s demo dish – Jollof rice, fried plantain and pepper sauce
Grains of paradise is an aromatic spice originating from West Africa with notes of cardamom, coriander, citrus, ginger, nutmeg and juniper rolled into one. It looks like black peppercorns but the more complex flavour means it is versatile for both sweet and savoury dishes.
My other highlight was connecting with fellow chefs and foodies whose passions for their crafts have resulted in change of careers, training and competing at the highest levels whilst still being really grounded.
I made some new friends and I can’t wait for next year’s event.
In the meantime, I look forward to sharing some of the recipes, new food ideas and my Jollof rice recipe with you in the coming months.
Read More:
Harrogate Town unveil new kit for upcoming season
Harrogate Town have unveiled their new home and third kit for the upcoming season.
Town will embark on their fourth campaign in EFL League Two from August.
Ahead of the new season, the club has revealed a new yellow home kit and black third kit.
Modelled by Matty Daly and Matty Foulds, the shirts are sponsored by Strata Homes.
Matty Daly and Matty Foulds in the third kit.
Both kits will be available to purchase from the club’s shop on Commercial Street in Harrogate town centre from today.
Town are set to start the 2023/24 season away at Doncaster Rovers on August 5.
They will then entertain Forest Green Rovers in the first home league fixture of the season on August 12.
Read more:
Businesses vote ‘yes’ to continue Harrogate BID
Local firms have voted overwhelmingly in favour of continuing to fund Harrogate Business Improvement District for another five years.
About 450 town centre businesses were asked to vote on whether to pay a levy of 1.5% on top of their rateable value to fund the BID for a second term.
The result, announced last night, revealed 76% voted ‘yes’.
It means the organisation — one of more than 350 BIDs in the country set up to increase footfall by providing additional services to those run by councils — will continue until at least the next ballot in 2028.
Since it was founded in 2019, Harrogate BID has funded initiatives such as street cleaning, street art and entertainment and floral displays to make the town centre more welcoming.
Street ranger Chris Ashby is part of the BID team.
Its business plan for the new five-year term, which officially starts in January 2024, focuses on three objectives; pride in our town; a vibrant town and voice and vision.
Dan Siddle, the general manager of the Crown Hotel who chairs Harrogate BID, said:
“The past five years have been quite something. There is no doubt that since Harrogate BID launched, it has comprehensively delivered.
“I am confident that our new five-year business plan and streamlined objectives will help shape the town further over the years to come to ensure Harrogate thrives long into the future.”
Read more:
- Harrogate BID to launch campaign for second term
- Olympic champion to present prizes at Sunday’s Harrogate 10K
The now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council used its block vote to support the BID in the last ballot.
This time,, its successor North Yorkshire Council chose not to get involved so the vote was a purely business decision.
Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:
“The fact that businesses voted to retain the BID, without the backing of North Yorkshire Council makes it even more credible.
“Most BIDs have the backing of their local authority as part of the ballot process, which in our case would have added 12 per cent to the result – if nothing else this provides a true representation from the businesses within the BID area.”
Sneak peek: Transformed Harrogate hotel to re-open on Monday
A new chapter in the history of one of Harrogate’s most famous hotels will begin on Monday when it reopens with a new name and completely fresh look.
The Harrogate Inn, formerly known as the St George Hotel, is one of three major local hotels to have undergone multi-million pound renovations by the Inn Collection Group.
Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House will re-open shortly under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn.
The Harrogate Inn has a new main entrance on Crescent Gardens that leads into a bar called the Barking George — a nod to its former name.
Visitors will walk into the Barking George bar.
The adjoining area, which used to serve food to hotel guests, has been transformed into a food and beverage area called Stray Away, which the owners hope will become a destination for local people.
It will serve breakfasts, morning and afternoon teas and coffees, lunches and evening meals in the hope of attracting customers for 18 hours a day. It also has a separate Sunday menu.
Six new ground floor suites have increased the number of rooms from 90 to 96.
One of the new suites.
The outdoor terrace has been redeveloped and the Ripon Road entrance will lead to another smaller bar. The existing rooms have undergone only minor changes.
An Inn Collection Group spokesman said:
“The reason we pitch ourselves as inns rather than hotels is because we make the space work from breakfast to night.
“It’s a new place to come and eat and drink. We want it to become a destination for locals to enjoy as much as hotel guests. Ultimately, that’s what will make us successful rather than just relying on high season visitors.”
Andrew Robson, senior communications and marketing executive and Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group outside the Harrogate Inn.
The Newcastle-based Inn Collection Group has 32 venues in northern England, including eight in North Yorkshire.
Henry White, who previously managed the company’s Commissioners Quay in Blyth, has been appointed general manager.
The new name is displayed.
It will be the first of three local Inn Collection Group properties to reopen this summer.
The Knaresborough Inn — formerly the Dower House — is scheduled to reopen on August 20. It will have 57 rooms, compared with 41 previously, largely due to the closure of the spa.
The reopening of the Ripon Inn — formerly Ripon Spa Hotel — was scheduled for August 20 but may not happen until early September. The number of rooms will increase from 41 to 57.
The domed roof remains.
Read more:
- Historic hotels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough set to re-open
- Lack of special need provision in schools ‘failing children’, says Harrogate mother
Missing Harrogate woman found
A missing woman from Harrogate has been found, police have confirmed.
She was missing since Wednesday, June 14.
North Yorkshire Police issued a statement yesterday to confirm that the woman had been found.
Read more:
- Sneak peek: Transformed Harrogate hotel to re-open on Monday
- Lack of special need provision in schools ‘failing children’, says Harrogate mother
12-foot horse sculpture to be installed at the Great Yorkshire Show
A large horse sculpture has been delivered to the Great Yorkshire Showground.
The art work is made out of more than 600 welded horseshoes, collected from across Yorkshire.
The 750-kilogram piece is named ‘Os II’ after the Yorkshire slang word for horse and was craned into position outside the Yorkshire Event Centre today.
Its creator, Ollie Holman is a thirty-one-year-old artist from North Yorkshire, who has been welding since he was a teenager.
‘Os II’ will be displayed next to the Yorkshire Show’s art show from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 14 along with some of Ollie’s other sculptures.
The sculptor cannot wait to see his work displayed at the event and said:
“I hope it stops people in their tracks and creates a big crowd around it. It will be nice to see people’s reactions,”
“The driving force behind this one was to improve myself as an artist and really capture the raw physical power of the horse in more detail. I layered up the horseshoes to give it that sense of power.
Ollie has made many horse sculptures, including another 12-foot piece which was sold to Cheltenham Race Course, but he is especially proud of his latest creation, which took five years to make.
Charles Mills, Director of the Great Yorkshire Show added:
“Ollie’s sculpture is a true epic that I have no doubt will turn heads at the Great Yorkshire Show.
“We are proud of the high-quality equestrian classes we have at the Show each year, so this is a very fitting sculpture to have in such a prominent position on the Showground.”
Read more
- Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show set for sell-out
- Royal visitor to Great Yorkshire Show revealed
- Poet Laureate unveils poem carved into stones at Brimham Rocks
Where to see Open Gardens in the Harrogate district
Some of the best private gardens in the Harrogate district have been opening their doors to the public over summer.
The National Open Gardens Scheme enables people to view gardens that are not usually accessible. Visitors are normally asked to pay a small fee that is then donated to charity.
About 3,500 gardens across Britain take part in the initiative, which started in 1927 to raise money for nurses. Last year it raised £3.11 million.
We have previously featured events in Great Ouseburn, Norton Conyers, Knaresborough and Marton-cum-Grafton, which took place in June.
Some venues run their own open gardens days, which are not part of the national scheme. If you have one coming up, let us know and we will add it to our listings. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Hampsthwaite
Hampsthwaite will be hosting 12 open gardens on Saturday 1 July from 12.30pm to 5pm.
The trail will begin on the village green, viewing historical properties. There should be a wide variety of planted and naturally wild areas.
It will then follow down Church Lane and end at Station House.
Entry is £5 and free for accompanied under-15s. All proceeds will go to St. Thomas a Beckett Church, Hampsthwaite.
Tickets can be bought on the day from the Memorial Hall.
For more information about what’s on check here.
Harrogate
Saint Michael’s Hospice is opening the grounds of its hospice on Hornbeam Park, between 11am and 3pm on July 2. Visitors can admire the work of the volunteer gardening team, see the hospice’s ‘secret’ viewpoint and enjoy the beauty of the space.
Refreshments will be served on the terrace overlooking Crimple Valley and there will be a raffle, craft activities, live music from the Spa Town Ukes and a plant sale.
Entry is free with donations welcome for refreshments and activities. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and assistance dogs are the only dogs permitted.
Read more:
- Harrogate’s Valley Gardens celebrates twinning anniversary
- Harrogate florist strikes gold at Chelsea Flower Show
Three times more street parties in Harrogate for Queen’s jubilee than King’s coronation
There were more than three times the number of street parties in the Harrogate district for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee than there were for the King’s Coronation, figures show.
Last June the country celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne and Harrogate was no exception with North Yorkshire Council revealing in a freedom of information request that 32 street parties took place over the long weekend.
From Patelely Bridge to Knaresborough and Harrogate, bunting-laden parties were held in almost every corner of the district.
Normally, the council asks for a fee to close a street but it decided to waive these costs to encourage festivities.
The same policy was in place for those wanting to celebrate the King’s Coronation last month when Charles III officially ascended to the throne following the death of his mother in September.
But this time, the number of street parties held across the former Harrogate district area was much lower with nine taking place, according to the council.
The figures also reveal that across the whole of North Yorkshire there were 116 street parties for the Queen’s Jubilee and 33 for the King’s Coronation.
Graham Smith, chief executive officer of the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic said the figures show that support is falling for the royal family in the county.
He said:
“Support for the monarchy is falling and this is clearly as true for North Yorkshire as the rest of the country. For a lot of people the Queen was the monarchy and the monarchy was the Queen.
“With endless scandal and the loss of the Queen, and growing concern about the way the country is governed, it’s not surprise people are less excited about celebrating big royal events.”
Read more:
- Knaresborough coronation event ‘good for the town’, say residents
- Council still working towards sale of historic Ripon Spa Baths
During both weekends, the now abolished Harrogate Borough Council organised huge free parties in Harrogate.
Across four days last year it transformed part of the Stray into ‘Jubilee Square’, with a large stage and video screens broadcasting the Queen’s Birthday Parade and other royal events from London.
The Valley Gardens also hosted a free family festival organised by the council with jugglers, magicians, fairground rides, face painting and live music.
Similarly for the coronation, the council put on a three-day event in the Valley Gardens with family entertainment and coronation ceremony on a big screen live from Westminster Abbey.
Olympic champion to present prizes at Sunday’s Harrogate 10KAbout a thousand runners will take part in the Harrogate 10K on Sunday.
The event, organised by running club Harrogate Harriers, starts and finishes at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Club on Hookstone Road.
Olympic triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee will present medals to the winners of the adult races, which starts at 10am.
The adult event will be preceded by a fun run for children, which includes a 1.3 km route for children in school years 2-5 will and a 2.5 km course for those in years 6-9.
The event, sponsored again by Knaresborough renewable energy firm Harmony Energy, takes runners on around Crimple Valley, finishing with the notorious Crimple killer last uphill kilometre.
A total of 486 adults and 70 children took part last year. This year, more than 800 adults have already registered.
However, local running star Cal Mills, who set a men’s record of 33 minutes and 13 seconds last year, won’t be defending his title.
Cal Mills (green vest) on his way to victory last year.
The women’s race last year saw Emily Gibbins, of Ilkley Harriers, destroy the female record by more than four minutes in a winning time of 38 minutes and 15 seconds.
Entry for the 10k race can be done here https://racebest.com/races/375cy
Online entries, which can be booked here, close at 10am tomorrow. If places remain, you can enter on the day.
Read more:
- Sneak peek: Transformed Harrogate hotel to re-open on Monday
- Harrogate acting school student lands major role in CBBC series
Ripon Independent councillor Andrew Williams joins Tory alliance
Ripon Independent councillor Andrew Williams has formed a political alliance with the Conservatives on North Yorkshire Council.
Cllr Williams, who is also the leader of Ripon City Council, is one of three independents to become members of a new Conservatives and Independents Group, which was announced today.
The Stray Ferret reported yesterday the Conservatives were wooing independents to maintain their grip on power. This month’s defection of Cllr Mike Jordan left them with precisely half of 90 seats on the council.
A statement by the Conservatives this morning said the party had been reaching out to other members in the wake of Cllr Jordan’s defection “to secure the stable and sustainable governance of North Yorkshire Council for the benefit of its residents”.
Cllr Carl Les
Carl Les, the Conservative council leader, said:
“Each of them have put stable and sensible decision-making at the top of their agenda since the elections last May, and as such we have agreed a common purpose.
“It is important that following local government reorganisation our staff feel secure in a well managed authority with clear policies in place.
“We will work together to achieve the sustainable and stable political direction this authority deserves, as indeed we have from last May.”
Cllr Williams was elected to North Yorkshire Council in last year’s local elections with 1,453 votes, ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate, who received 334 votes. The Conservative candidate was third with 312 votes.
The other independents to join the new group are Cllr Caroline Goodrick, who represents Sheriff Hutton and Derwent and Cllr Robert Heseltine.
(from left): Cllrs Heseltine, Williams and Goodrick
Cllr Williams is one of nine members of an Independents group. The other two to join are unaffiliated independents.
It is unclear the extent to which they will collaborate with the Tories.
Today’s statement said all three will continue to serve as independents.
However, the group is widely regarded as a way of shoring up support to the Conservatives in the period until the next North Yorkshire elections in 2028.
The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Cllr Williams for further details of the arrangement.
Read more:
- Tories woo independents to maintain grip on North Yorkshire Council
- Harrogate town council set to be formed as 66% back the idea