Wagga Wagga to Worcestershire & back again
Last week I got a Facebook message from Australian friend Kerri, who’s currently holidaying around the U.K., about a delicious asparagus and wild garlic soup she’d eaten. Intrigued and inspired, especially by some of the images of wild garlic that are appearing on my Instagram feed, I went out in search of some the plants myself.
After weeks of diligent watering, weeding and a bit of help from mother nature, Adam and have undertaken the first ‘harvest’ in our terrace vegetable garden!
The salad leaves have been the quickest to grow and we’d been watching the little plants get bigger by the day, just waiting for the right time to snip off some buttery soft goodness.
I have a confession to make – up until very, very recently my knowledge of England’s Peak District was based primarily on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I knew Derbyshire was near the Peak District and that’s where Mr Darcy’s ‘Pemberley’ was based. I quickly discovered at the start of this week though, there’s a whole lot more to the Peak District than Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Adam and I chose the Peak District for a long weekend away on a bit of a whim. It was a region I’d never visited and Adam only briefly. What we discovered was towns and villages filled with exquisite stones buildings, amazing scenery and a thriving food and beer scene.
Last Christmas Adam’s brother John and his partner Sally gave me the book ‘102 English Things To Do’ by Alex Quick. I had a lovely scan through it in the days after Christmas, but never really got stuck into reading it properly.
I’ve now had the opportunity to look it more thoroughly and have started making a list of some of the ‘things’ I’d like to do, particularly over the next few months.
England officially went onto ‘summer time’ at the weekend and the sun came out in celebration, delivering the two most beautiful Malvern’s had in a long time. It was almost like nature knew daylight saving was starting and put on a show in response.
The air had that first sweet scent of warmth and the sunshine stuck around all day. I managed to ditch my boots for the first time since Adam and I arrived in the U.K. and get around in a pair of ballet flats. It felt luxurious. There was no need to remember a thick winter coat and sunglasses were genuinely needed. With the first of the spring blooms on show and trees starting to shoot their dainty, fresh green leaves, it was the sort of weekend that left you deeply satisfied and smiling.
If you like historic buildings, cute colourful cottages and good food and drink you’ll love Ludlow. This market town in south Shropshire is credited as having the first successful food and wine festival in the U.K. and its centre is made up of dozens of independent cafes, tea rooms, cheese shops, butcheries, bakeries and providores style shops.
Earlier this week, on a particularly dark and damp day, Adam and I made the trip north to Ludlow for a visit. Adam’s told me dozens of times about the Ludlow Food Festival and it’s already marked in the diary for this year (September 8-10 if you’re interested).
We parked the car and wandered down narrow streets and walkways full of character filled shops, finding our selves in the high street. Ready for something after our drive, we walked into a tea-room full of lounges, golden lamps and a rather fabulous collection of eclectic tea cups and saucers. After slices of cake (orange and lavender for me – unusual but tasty, coffee and walnut for Adam) and a pot of tea each we were ready to explore.
Ludlow’s the sort of place I think you need to keep visiting, in order to try all the dining choices on offer. While we weren’t disappointed in where we visited, we walked into or past a handful of other tempting options. The baker in Adam also got rather excited when we found a small shop where you could buy scoops of flour, oats and other grain straight from the big brown bags the mills use.
The local farmer’s market was also on when we visited. The drizzle meant we perused quickly, but there was still a nice selection of fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese and flowers on offer – not bad for a weekday in January.
Visiting during the off-season meant we often had little laneways to ourselves and it was lovely to peek at the some of the beautiful homes that are right in the centre of Ludlow.
If you like shops with character, I’d recommended having a nose about in Rickards – a kitchen – outdoors – gardening mecca. It’s the sort of place where you can never find anything, but the shopkeeper knows exactly where ‘it’ is. How great is the front counter?!
I’m looking forward to heading back to Ludlow again – one word of advice though, arrive with an empty stomach!
Allotments are all over England – small parcels of land, often council owned, that are used by keen gardeners to grow fruit and vegetables. They’re a wonderful idea and when Adam and I have been driving around cities and towns, I look out for them. They’re a great green beacon that stand out from the grey sky and muted coloured houses.
My grandfather, who was born in England, often tells stories about the lovely big gardens his family had when he was a child. Tilling the land is a passion he continues to have today, so seeing allotments for myself is something I’ve been looking forward to for some time.
In Adam’s family, the allotment is at his Aunty Lisa’s house and is mainly maintained by her and Grandad Len.
Although it’s starting to get too cold to grow most things now, I had a good poke around over the weekend.
Have you ever driven or walked past a place that immediately captures your attention? On our second day in the UK, Adam and I took a drive to the north of Malvern and in the village of Bransford we passed a collection of restored farm buildings that caught my eye. From the car you could catch a glimpse of a gravel covered courtyard, quaint tables and chairs and parked cars.
Adam told me the complex was called The Fold and earlier this week while he was away working my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go and have a look myself.
Before Adam came to Australia he lived in a house on a vineyard to the north of Malvern. He’s talked endlessly about the place and couldn’t wait to show me his old ‘home’, so at the end of last week we jumped in the car and made the short trip up to Astley.
The vineyard itself is off a lovely tree-lined lane. After popping into the cellar door to say hello to owner (and former landlord) Jonty we walked up to vines.
The Riverina region (where I’d been living for the decade prior to moving to the UK) is one of Australia’s big grape growing areas and there are dozens of wineries within an easy one to two hour drive. You don’t see a real lot of English wine about, so I was keen to explore.
Adam and I share a deep love of tea. He’s English, so I’m pretty sure it’s genetic! In my family, a cup of tea is the antidote to most illnesses and a way to de-stress and relax.
For the last few years, my mum has worked in a tea house at a local gift and homewares store. (I told you it was in the family!) One of her favourite aspects of the job is providing the shop’s high teas. I hadn’t had the opportunity to pop in to sample one, so Adam and I thought it’d be a nice way to spend an afternoon.
The tea room is an intimate space, where lamps cast a warm glow over small wooden tables adorned with lace tablecloths.
Wattle and Ash 