Editor’s Pick of the Week: Pie heaven in Pateley, fuel hell in Harrogate and gold blingThe butcher ‘addicted to’ his fourth-generation family businessYemi’s Food Stories: Perfect pies in Pateley Bridge

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  – 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.  

 

Last week Yemi was in Pateley Bridge and wrote about her experience at Cocoa Joe’s.  This week she continues her culinary journey in the town..

My day in Pateley Bridge did not end without me exploring the town from the butchers to the tea rooms and I couldn’t resist entering Glad Rags Boutique where I left with a pineapple patterned summer shirt.

Charles Andrew from Cocoa Joe’s told me there were two excellent butchers on the high street so I couldn’t wait to see what was on offer.

My first stop was at Kendall’s where I first feasted with my eyes before stepping through their doors. It was a funny sight as I joined others to peer through the clear glass at their arrays of pies wondering how I would choose which one to try. I felt like ‘Oliver Twist’ about to ask for more.

Armed with information from the locals, I already found out their preferences, so I thought that was a great place to start. I dragged myself away from the street to take in the rest of their indoor display.

Their sausage roll was still warm, so I started with that, and I was really delighted by the flaky, crispy, and light pastry around the tasty filling. This was in a class of its own and I soon began to understand why their pies were award winning.

There was no way I wasn’t leaving with some sausage rolls for my boys who live in London so a pack of their ready to cooked sausage rolls were instantly on my shopping list.

I chose their hog roast pie with pulled shoulder of pork with apple and stuffing which I thought would be too sweet, but it was just right, and the chicken pie. I am a sucker for mushy peas, so the mushy pea topped pork pie made the final cut.

Kendall’s is uttered in the same breath as pies so it is easy to think that’s all they do well but that would be mistaken because they also have an amazing selection of meat – cooked and raw. I left with some lamb rack which would make a delightful dinner centrepiece and I am looking forward to sitting down to enjoy it crusted with my African spices.

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I crossed the road again and was soon in the Oldest Sweet Shop in the World established in 1827; it was nice to know that generations have had a sweet tooth.

From the Guinness world record by the door as you walked in, rows of sweet in glass jars, old tin jars fit for any museum to the weighing scale that took me back to my childhood, there were many moments of being wowed. It took every ounce of strength to resist buying the tiniest amuse bouche like lemon desserts which were so pretty and dainty.

I walked past a tearoom, Indian and Waffles and Crepe restaurants which offered even more selection of sweet delights.

My last stop was Wildings Tearoom which is just by the river where you can enjoy a cup of tea overlooking and listening to the soothing sounds of the river. With a good selection of cakes and a couple of plaques, I was already smiling whilst checking out the menu.

A quote said, ‘A balanced diet is a cake in each hand’ and who can argue with that?

The second quote, ‘Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away’ was my parting gift as I left Pateley bridge, a town that took my breath away.

The natural beauty, amazingly warm people and the food scene makes this a place I can’t wait to visit again with friends, family and guests.

Yemi debating which cake to eat at Wildings Tearoom

 

Cooplands closes Boroughbridge bakery

Cooplands has closed its bakery in Boroughbridge after little more than two years.

The company, which is the second largest bakery chain in the district, opened a shop on the town’s High Street in February 2021.

But a sign appeared in the window recently saying the shop had now closed permanently and the nearest branch was on Beulah Street in Harrogate.

Cooplands in Harrogate

The Harrogate shop

The Stray Ferret asked Cooplands why it had closed its Boroughbridge branch and how many staff were affected.

A spokesperson said:

“Following an in-depth review of the business, we have proposed to make some changes to both our retail and bakery operations, to help better position the business for the long-term and sustainable growth.

“This has been done to ensure that our store estate and broader business are fully aligned with our ‘modern bakery food-to-go retailer’ strategy.

“As a result, we have entered into a consultation process with a number of colleagues. We appreciate that this may be unsettling for colleagues and our priority is to support them fully throughout this process.”

The spokesperson declined to comment beyond the statement.

Cooplands started as a single shop in Scarborough in 1885 and now has more than 160 shops in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the North East.

It was bought in 2021 by the EG Group.

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Business Breakfast: New Harrogate Town sponsorship deal

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Town has announced a new partnership with Barclays LED Solutions.

As a result, the Wetherby Road Terrace at the EnviroVent stadium has been renamed the Barclays LED Solutions Stand.

Barclays LED Solutions has been working with the club over the summer to install new energy saving LED floodlights that will improve the lighting at the ground and reduce environmental impact.

Dave Barclay, owner of Barclay LED Solutions said:

“We are thrilled to partner with the club, after completing works on replacing the floodlights with LED we knew we wanted to continue working with Harrogate Town and the right opportunity came at the right time.

“Harrogate Town is an integral part of the community that brings so many people together and we are delighted to be involved with the club and show our support of Town.”

Barclay LED Solutions, founded over 30 years ago as an electrical contracting business now specialises in the design, supply and installation of LED lighting to the sports, commercial and industrial markets.

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Ripon pies win taste award

Ripon based Yorkshire Handmade Pies has picked up a 3 star Great Taste Award for its steak and kidney pie.

The company was also awarded  2 stars for its steak and black pudding and Yorkshire samosa pies, and 1 star for its mushroom and ale and steak and ale pies.

More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process, with only 241 products from around the world being awarded the Great Taste 3-star accolade, which is awarded for ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies are made from local ingredients including slow-cooked Heritage breed beef, herb-fed free-range chicken and grass-fed Wagyu beef, all farmed in harmony with the environment.

Founder James Sturdy said:

“We are over the moon. So fantastic for the team to be recognised for all their hard work. Five awards is a seriously impressive haul – it’s hard to get any awards so five is really good, especially the 3-star one.

“We’re so proud of our local area and of representing Yorkshire’s finest produce on an international stage. Great Taste is the most recognised accolade in the food and drink world. For independent producers like Yorkshire Handmade Pies it really means a huge amount to be recognised.”

 

The award winning steak and kidney Yorkshire Handmade Pie.