Donna Nook Seals

There are already lots of posts on people's Blogs showing pictures of the seals at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire, just down from Cleethorpes. Here are a few more - 4 of the several hundred taken over the week we were there at the end of November. We were staying in a cottage at North Somercoates - Nursery Cottage at Meals Farm - you will pass it if you go to see the seals - we can recommend it!

According to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust web-site, there were 1036 pups at the last count (10 Dec 2006), beating last years record. I think one of the wardens said that last year (or the year before) the last pup was born on Christmas Day. If you are thinking of going to see them, the older pups will now be starting to head out to sea, driven by hunger since their mum's will have abandoned them to their own devices. By mid January the beach will be empty - I'm told its a bit smelly for quite a while.

If you do go, its best to go mid-week - less traffic and people - but even at week-ends there is parking in a farmers field at a small charge. Do look out for the one-way system (straight up to Stonebridge car-park then clockwise round the block) - meeting a 4x4 coming the other way can mean one of you is going 'off road' (and it ain't always the 4x4!). Friday and week-ends do have the advantage of excellent burgers and coffee on sale in the Stonebridge car-park.

Wrap up warm and check the LWT site for dos and don'ts.

(Check out Eating in Cleethorpes for somewhere interesting just up the road.)

Disappointment at Carsington

I said I would mainly be making positive comments about places to shop and eat. Sadly I feel the need to make a negative one.

Last week we went to Carsington Water (Google Map) down in Derbyshire. We have sometimes eaten down in the courtyard cafe at the Visitors Centre - quite nice burgers, but a bit cold to sit outside in early December - so we went up to the Mainsail Restaurant. There wasn't much on the menu that we fancied, but that isn't really a critisism, and we went for the Steak and Kidney Pie (me) and the Leg of Lamb (Hilary). I will say that they scored points for the meal arriving hot and on hot plates - many places serve a hot meal on barely warm plates. The pie was nicely presented and the flavour was to my liking. But we were both disappointed with the meat. Mine could have been trimmed better and cooked a little longer, and Hilary found her lamb to be a bit on the chewy side and with a bit too much 'scrag'.

A pity really. We have eaten there before, but they let themselves down this week.

Having walked out to Stone's Island (its not really an island) and up to the Wildlife Centre Hide we needed warming up and we went back to the Mainsail for coffee. The latte was good and my minced tart was excellent - so they made up a bit of ground before we came away.

Eating in Cleethorpes

A couple of weeks ago we were in Lincolnshire to see the seals at Donna Nook (more on that later when I sort out the photos - see Donna Nook Seals) and during the week we went into Cleethorpes. On our last visit we ate up in the town, but Hilary remembered seeing a place down on the prom by the pier, so we parked overlooking the beach and went for a walk.

What we found was Boaters Beach. If you expect a restaurant on the prom next to the pier to be greasy chips and inedible burgers, think again! Their web site describes it as 'a unique eating experience in beautiful surroundings - right on the beach in Cleethorpes, N.E. Lincolnshire' - it ain't wrong. The special that day was 'beef casserole in a crusty cob with fried potatoes' (see pic) - it was in fact a small crusty loaf scooped out and filled with beef and veg. The beef gave in when it saw a knife. If there was a negative comment to make, it was that they had been slightly heavy with pepper for Hilary. Hilary had ordered it, but I had gone for the Fisherman's Platter. So I enjoyed her casserole and Hilary tucked into my Platter.

Good food, good price, nice place, and friendly staff who were interested in what they were doing - and that is a strong plus sign.

An excellent Farm Shop near Wakefield

Here goes - my first post in anger on this Blog!

Some years ago I produced a 'Tea Shop' Guide which is still on my web site (see my profile) but which is now woefully out of date and hedged round with caveats. One thing I want to do with this Blog is to record new (and some old) places to that we have found to shop and to eat, and to give my comments and thoughts (mostly positive! but sometimes not so good).

I'll start with a VERY GOOD Farm Shop that we have used ever since it opened in 1999 - Blacker Hall Farm Shop, just off Denby Dale Road outside Wakefield (Links to Google Map showing Blacker Hall and to their own site). I hope they won't mind me linking to their logo!!

The meat is excellent and much of it is produced on their own farm. The baking is wonderful and if you look though the door by the tills you can see it being produced. OK they do also stock the usual 'select' products from well known names such as Tyrells (crisps), Innocent (smoothies), and others that are now the standard for many 'farm' shops, but they still major on what is produced in-house and locally. They won the 'Best Farm Shop in England' title this year which they added to the 'Best in Yorkshire' for the previous two years and the 'Best Roast Beef in England' in 2004.

Worth a journey - its what I call a 'two basket' farm shop - since we get there only infrequently (we no longer do the 60 mile round trip to see Mum-in-law) we usually end up filling two baskets.

My only gripe is that they no longer seem to be producing their excellent Sausage Plait!

The latest news (dropped into conversation by the young lady at the till) is that they now have planning permission to open a cafe upstairs. Watch this space!