Yorkshire Dales food blog


Malham Show, Farmers Market & MTB Trailquest

Malham Show

Malham Show

Malham Show in the shadow of Malham Cove will be held this Saturday the 29th August 2009.  Events run all day, Some Horse Jumping and judging starts at 9am and main ring events from 12 noon.   Malham Show is a traditional Agricultural and Horticultural show that has now been running for over 100 years.  Events and attractions include a Brass Band, Cattle, Sheep, Horse Jumping and Hunter Classes, Heavy Horses, tug of war, Children’s sports, Egg throwing, Classic cars, Vintage Tractors, Farmers Market, Craft tent, food & drink.

The Farmers Market will include Yorkshire Dales Meat, cakes, plants, granola, preserves, bread and more, confirmed stalls in the Farmers Market Marque include:-

Also taking place at the Show is our traditional Fellrace and the now well established Mountainbike Trailquest event covering some of the best Mountain bike terrain in the country.  Mountain Bike Trailquest is basically Orienteering on a bike and you can enter either the 2hr or 4 hour events, you are given a map with all the check points and values of each the most difficult or furthest away checkpoints having the highest values and you plan a route and set off, competitors use an electronic timing system where you can just place your dibber in any of the controls dotted around the course and this plots your route and score.  A very well supported event that forms part of the Local Trailquest Leagues NEMBOS & NYMBOS and also part of the National TCA Championship.

Link to Malham Show Website including further details of the Fell race, Mountainbike Trailquest and the Farmers Market



Lunch at The Red Lion, Burnsall

I do enjoy a trip over to Burnsall but sadly don’t visit the Red Lion as much as I’d like, had an excuse for a trip over today and was very pleased we did.

First the Beer, Timothy Taylor’s Best Bitter or Caledonian Deuchars IPA (one of my favourites through habit when they used to serve it at The Lister Arms in Malham)  of course I choose the Deuchars IPA for old time’s sake, good temperature, lovely creamy pint.

The food, for starter’s Fish Soup with Aioli & Gruyere, very meaty fish soup ! can you say that? I mean lot’s of nice fishy or seafoodie bits in this case, squid, mussels all sorts, lovely consistency and a nice floating crouton with a dollop of Aioli and sprinkling of Gruyere on top, yum.  served with sundried tomato bread.

Main course, after much thought I plumped for the Liver & onions with bubble and squeak, another great choice on my part, various veg served with the other meals and included, butternut squash mash, dauphinoise potatoes, chips, red cabbage, carrots and cauliflower cheese, oh and a salad with the steak.

Other dishes on the menu included, rib eye steak, smoked haddock, poached egg and hollandaise (I went for this last time I was here!) 14oz rump steak, Hartlington Lamb, Pigeon & chorizo salad, game pie with herb dumpling crust and Haggis (but they had run out).

I was stuffed and couldn’t face a pud but other’s tried a lemon tart with lemon sorbet, an orange and chocolate mouse cake and the cheese and biscuit selection which all looked great and the cheese came with fruit cake as well!



Hairy Bikers in Skipton

Went to a meeting at The Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton this morning and who were getting all kitted up ready for a foodie motorbike trip in the Yorkshire Dales but Simon King and Dave Myers – better known as the Hairy Bikers, complete with wicker shopping baskets on the front of the motorbikes.   I will try and find out what they are upto in this area….

It’s a new tv series on regional baking, filming at Skipton Castle…..



Yorkshire Dales Farmers Markets

Farmers markets take place throughout the Yorkshire Dales, here are listed a few of them:-

  • Grassington Farmers Market – Village Centre – 3rd Sunday 9.30am-3pm
  • Leyburn Farmers Market – Market Place – 4th Saturday 8am-3pm
  • Ripon Farmers Market – Market Square – 3rd Sunday 8am-3pm
  • Settle Farmers Market – Town Square – 2nd Sunday 9.30 – 3pm
  • Skipton Farmers Market - Coach Street – 1st Sunday 9.30am-3pm
  • Thirsk Farmers Market - Town Square – 2nd Monday 8am-3pm
  • York Auction Mart – 1st and 3rd Saturday 9am-1pm


How to cook the perfect steak – Part 1

Our first attempt at a short video on how to cook the perfect steak is now on you tube, featuring Jonny Gilmore from the Devonshire at Bolton Abbey here in the Yorkshire Dales, Jonny prepares 3 well hung sirloin steaks cooking 1 rare, 1 medium and 1 well done.  Tips on the pan, seasoning and resting your steaks.  You can view the Perfect Steak video on You Tube here



Bolton Abbey Beef and Lamb

Bolton Abbey Well Hung Beef

The finest Beef and Lamb from Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales.   ‘The quality of our beef is second to none’  says Steve Crabtree of Bolton Abbey Foods.  Over the years a suckler herd has been established, using the best of both native British breeds and continental breeds.  These animals are ideally suited to the high Dales grassland and rich lower parkland.

The Beef animals are reared naturally, suckling their mothers from birth and graze at least two seasons at grass.  A purpose designed feeding regime has been formulated with the help of an animal nutritionist, this enhances the texture, taste, consistency and overall quality of the meat.  As a direct result, the animals are both healthier and happier.  The meat is tasty, tender and succulent because it is hung and fully matured ensuring the quality of the beef is second to none.

Bolton Abbey Really Tasty Lamb

The sheep flock on Steve Crabtree’s farm in Bolton Abbey graze over the heather moors and lower parklands. The breeding sheep have been established over the past 50 years and are indigenous to the Wharfedale valley.  They are farmed in a natural way utilising the diverse grazing which is available on the farm.

The lambs are Spring born to their home-bred mothers and suckle during the Autumn.  The lambs are finished purely on grass, which ensures only the best quality of lamb is produced.  This farming practice creates a wholesome, natural and unique product.

The farm is registered as farm assured and is subject to rigorous annual inspections, ensuring all aspects of animal welfare and environmental care are kept to a paramount.

Steven Crabtree’s Bolton Abbey Beef and Lamb is now available on the Paganum Farmers Market Website  here www.paganum.co.uk.



Paganum Produce food blog

A little bit of information about our products, at the moment we are just supplying Yorkshire Dales Beef and Lamb, all from the Skipton, Craven, Malhamdale, Littondale, Wharfedale and Ribblesdale areas of North Yorkshire.  Our beef products include a selection of well matured, naturally reared and grass fed steaks.  All our meat is from family farms in the area.

Paganum is all about changing people’s perceptions as well as enthusing their taste buds with quality.

Our aim is to create an online farmers market supplying only quality gourmet produce sourced from the Yorkshire Dales.

There seems to be this notion that traditional country produce can only be enjoyed by people living in the country, and town and city people must go to the supermarket and be slaves to mass-produced convenience.  This is not the case. Through Paganum, consumers and restauranteurs who care deeply about food they serve can benefit from higher quality and often cheaper prices than the untraceable supermarket ingredients.