October 2010
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." George Eliot. For us this wonderfully sums up autumn in England - the time of year to harvest abundant crops and finally celebrate the fruits of the farms’ long labours. Harvest Festivals date back to pre-Christian times when the success of the crops governed most people’s lives. Autumn is the very best time of year to visit the quintessentially English Cotswolds. When the sun shines on the magnificent spectrum of leaf colours at Westonbirt Arboretum, there is no better place to be on earth. Accompanying the spectacular change in the landscape is the availability of an abundance of varieties of vegetables and fresh produce from our local farms and suppliers. The “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness*” is almost breathtaking in its perfection. *John Keats – To Autumn
Many delicious root vegetables and squashes are now coming through from our local farms forming a great basis for hearty winter menus. However whilst frost is the mortal enemy to so many crops, the roots’ flavours improve with harsh frosts as the starch turns to sugars and result in a certain sweetness that enriches many dishes – so we shall continue to be patient. If you are a local gardener with plenty of produce, don’t forget about our “barter at the back-door” scheme that continues to run. Bring us your surplus and we will exchange it for vouchers to its current market value. You might get a free night out with us if you have enough vouchers!
The local farmer’s markets are celebrating the harvest and the rich pickings that force our farming friends to work 12+ hour days. The Willingdales at Bow-in-the-Cloud vineyard in Garsdon just outside Malmesbury will be harvesting their bumper crop of grapes towards the end of October. They have delayed by a week this year to allow for the cool spell that we are currently having, so all fingers crossed that we don't have a hard frost first! This year’s crop of grapes is really good quality with a high yield and the plump fruit will be turned into some really good wine by Halfpenny Green Vineyard. The Noah’s Ark crop covers enough land to require help at harvest, so the 5/6 pickers pitch tents, light camp fires and enjoy fine camaraderie after a day picking the 3 acres of swollen grapes, ready for turning into the delicious wine that so many of you enjoy here. Try a glass of the Cloud Nine award-winning sparkling wine with a drop of Cotswold liqueur as a delicious aperitif.
Another of our suppliers in their busiest time of year is Days Cottage – a farming family who make cider, perry and apple juice in Brookthorpe, Gloucestershire. The combination of a cold winter, sunny spring and early summer has resulted overall in smaller but sweeter apples this year. The fruit in the apple juice that we sell at the bar comes from Days’ unsprayed orchards and dozens of varieties are used (some of which are unique to our county). These apples give flavours unobtainable from modern commercial fruit and the juice is totally natural with no additives or preservatives. Over 1kg of fresh fruit is used in each 75cl bottle. The orchards are grown to encourage wildlife with large trees in flora-rich pastures grazed by sheep. Plants, insects, birds all thrive together at Days Cottage and for all these reasons, they are another shining example of one of our many “30 Mile Food Heroes” who are passionate about their cause and take pride in their high quality product.
On Saturday 24th October we are bringing a slice of Bavaria to Tetbury with our very own Oktoberfest! Celebrating all good things about The Cotswold Brewing Company’s lagers, we shall enjoy some German-style specials on our menu and encourage you to come and try a traditional stein brimming with great local lager. Head brewer Richard Keene will be here to chat to anyone who is interested and will be armed with tasting paddles so you can try the whole Cotswold lager range and decide on your favourite. The action will be outside in twinkling tents from 6pm so wrap up warm, and come and enjoy the atmosphere and accompanying oom-pah music. When you try the lagers we think you’ll agree with our decision to switch to this Cotswold family business. A key reason for us is that The Keenes follow the same ethos that we apply to the food that we serve. They are people who are passionate about their product, people who changed their lives to follow their hearts, and in so doing, every beer they produce embodies that commitment.
The Beauty Room officially opened in September and Helena and her team are becoming very busy offering: blissfully chilled massages (including “Le Stone” which uses hot stones to draw out muscle stress – perfect for a cold winter’s day); many of the latest facial treatments; waxing techniques from Strip London; a complete range of skin specific Neal’s Yard treatments; make-over options; and, a Garda sun G7200 sunshower as well as many more!
Live Sunday music has become an integral part of what we do here at The Priory Inn and starts every week at 8pm. Entry is free and we really hope that you come and support live music – plus there is no better way to forget about Monday morning! On the 3rd we welcome Ruth Royall – a young talented local singer/songwriter, the 10th sees Russ Poole performing a wide range of covers and originals. Blind River Scare’s Tim Manning plays Americana, folk, country- tinged songs on 17th, and acoustic singer King Rich plays on 24th. Finally a spooky 31st is on offer with Pigs Might Fly playing guitar, flute, bodhran and whistles. Click here for more information on each singer.
TLKelly 1/10/2010
