recipes | Life in the English Cotswolds

Over the many years of writing this blog I have rarely posted reviews of products or of venues. From time to time such requests are made and turned down as that sort of writing has never been my intention. The few that I have written have been chosen solely on their merit – it is usually because I have come away with that ‘wow’ feeling. And so it is with this one for, as others will testify, cheese is certainly, or can be, able to give it.

*Judging cheese at the Great Yorkshire Show*

My partner and I had chosen to spend a week in the Yorkshire Dales, a National Park with spectacular scenery. Austwick is a classic north of England village – solid stone-built cottages, a church, a village green, a couple of village shops and for us, a great base for some wonderful walks over what can be challenging terrain. As it happened, it turned out to be a little too challenging as my partner is recovering from a broken foot – the cross-country walks will have to wait for another visit. Instead, we decided to explore the area mostly by car with a few short, gentle walks thrown in as ‘therapy’.

On our first outing, we had only driven two miles before we saw a sign marked The Courtyard Dairy. Not expecting too much other than an ice cream (they do those too), we were blown away by what we saw. The Courtyard Dairy – trading from a converted barn – is a family run affair and there is little doubt upon entering that they are certainly having a love affair with cheese. There are cheeses of every colour, size and consistency everywhere you look. I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised for the fields we’d passed were full of black and white milking cattle and, of course, as every Wallace & Gromit fan knows, Wensleydale (just a few miles up the road) is famous for its cheese. There is even a black and white – plus a few extra colours – cow to greet you as you walk into the Dairy yard.

The people that run the Dairy couldn’t have been more friendly and were quick to correct us (nicely!) when we said we were staying at Austwick and pronouncing it in the typical Southern way, Oorstwick. “Oh, you mean Austwick – Aust as in Australia.” It reminded us of a time some years ago when we were up north and asked a local policeman how we reached the village of Oertop. It took some time before he realised that the person who had given us directions had said, when translated into southern speak, “over the top” which had meant we needed to take the road that went over the hill.

*Friendly staff and a great selection at The Courtyard Dairy*

As with all good cheese shops, we were able to taste the cheeses before deciding which ones to buy and, needless to say, came away with a classic cheeseboard: a couple of hard cheeses, a soft cheese, a blue cheese and a goat cheese. Of course, no cheese should be unaccompanied without wine and across the courtyard there is a wine shop with a tremendous selection. A bottle of Bordeaux was suggested as the perfect partner for the hard cheeses.

Behind the cheese shop the Swinscoe family have created a small museum telling the story of cheesemaking in the Dales. The old equipment used is on display as well as boards explaining the family’s connection to the Dales, to cheese making and to farming. For me, I found the recipe notes dating from 1912 and written by Great Granny Mary Reid of especial interest for I have a few recipes similarly handed down from my Polish great-grandmother Rachel. She died in Poland before my mother was born and these precious mementos seem to give life back to these people of long ago that would otherwise be unknown.

*Great-Granny Reid’s cheesemaking notes, 1912*

Neither great-grandmother had, to my knowledge, a recipe for pizzas using local cheeses but if you fancy one these are also available in the restaurant attached to the Dairy. All in all, a great visit and well worth making a special trip for. However, if you are unable to find an excuse for a few days in Yorkshire an online order service and a cheese club are available. I think there’s a very good chance that I shall be joining!

*Not a picture but the view from the museum window!*

The Courtyard Dairy is situated on the A65 Kirkby Lonsdale to Settle road, and about 2 miles south-east of Austwick

The Courtyard Dairy website

It is not surprising that I was so delighted to have discovered this place for it has received many accolades before: Cheesemonger of the Year in the World Cheese Awards, visits from King Charles III as Prince of Wales, Nadiya Hussein to mention just a few…

With Christmas not many weeks away and with it, the annual angst of choosing presents for friends and family, I was delighted to come across this inspiring and original recipe book. It combines not just two of my loves – the Lake District and cooking but is also a jolly good read.

Twenty years ago, Mark and Maria Whitehead launched The Hawkshead Relish Company and this beautifully illustrated cookbook comes as a celebration of it being established. Often the best things come out of necessity and the book tells the story of how, with the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease effectively closing down tourism in the countryside, their café was facing disaster. Lack of customers gave them the time to develop further the small range of home-made chutneys that they produced for the café and to market them to a wider public. Today, their family-run business is thriving, employs local people and exports produce across the world.

As the business expanded, so did the Hawkshead range and as well as chutneys and pickles they have now created such sweet temptations as Raspberry & Vanilla Jam and Salted Caramel Sauce. The recipe chapters are gathered around the key Hawkshead product for as Maria says in her introduction, how often do we have half-opened jars in the back of the store cupboard or fridge that need using up? However, the recipes sound and look so good (for each recipe is accompanied by a photo of the finished item) that they stand in their own right and you will be buying from Hawkshead specifically to try them out.

Although I suppose I should really start with one of the savoury dishes, I am a sucker for a good Bakewell Tart and with raspberries being my favourite fruit this had to be the first recipe to try. The recipe was clear, concise and the result superb for, unlike most, as well as the jam there were chunks of raspberries throughout the mixture.

My second recipe was the Spiced Lamb Flatbreads. Again, straightforward to create and absolutely delicious although I have to admit that the finished result didn’t look quite as professional as the ones in their photograph!

There really isn’t a good reason not to use Hawkshead Relishes in the recipes for their range is available from selected suppliers as well as by mail order (click here for more details). However, I am sure that it is quite possible to adapt the recipes to your own store cupboard, for the cookbook is too good not to have a copy on the shelf. An alternative, of course, is to take a trip up to the Lakes and stock up at the Hawkshead Relish shop which (unsurprisingly!) can be found in the centre of the village of Hawkshead.

The cookbook “Embellish with Relish” is available from good booksellers or direct from The Hawkshead Relish Company. Published by Meze Publishing, ISBN 9781910863497, £16.00.

PLEASE NOTE: all the photographs used in this post are from the cookbook “Embellish with Relish” and are copyright. they should not be reproduced elsewhere without the relevant permissions.