Life in Leeds

This week saw me in Leeds I had meetings at the Welcome to Yorkshire Offices for the PSMG. This is a group represented tourism businesses from all across Yorkshire . I was kindly chaparoned by Charles Forgan who is based at the Captain Cook Museum in Whitby. We went in on the train from Northallerton.

Dry  Sand Foundry is where Welcome to Yorkshire are based in Foundry Square,Holbeck in Leeds. It is just a quick walk from the station over the wharf and then round a corner and over a little footbridge .It was a lovely morning and there is always something about water and locks that interest me . A passage in time.

Our meeting lasted around two hours which was time to see what has been happening over the last quarter and more importantly what will happen in the coming one.

Sir Thomas Ingelby, from Riply Castle, is our chair. There is lots of exciting things happening and some of them will be revelled in march at Y17. The rest are cogs in the wheels and decisions that are made by the board which will be implemented in the future.

I love going to meetings in the City and thrive on the responsiblity of bringing new ideas to the table. The board loved one of these ideas and I will let you know when it is in place when it happens. All I can say about it now it will benefit a lot of businesses throughout Yorkshire .

There is a big part of me that shows I am a country girl at heart. As Jack always says when he see the White Horse of Kilburn on the hill he knows he is nearly home. So when I saw the Horse out of the window of the train I knew I was nearly home.

Timelapse: The North Yorkshire Moors Railway masterpiece wows crowds in ...

Robin Hood's Bay sea wall mosaic - Footprints Through Time

The Winners of the Ryedale Business Awards

On Tuesday 24th January 2017, we held the first Ryedale Business Awards at the White Swan of Ampleforth .

The Winners received hand blown glass bowls created  and generously donated by Gillies Jones -www.gilliesjonesglass.co.uk 

 are as follows -

Learning and Developement - Ryetools


Start Up Business  -Horsetown Beers


Young Entrepreneur  -Fergus Court Funeral Services


Innovation - Consultancy Team


Rural Diversification -  Studford Luxury Lodges


Community Contribution -Terrington Stores


Long Standing Business Award - RV Rogers Ltd


Ryedale Champion - Cuckavalda Gundogs

Vaqueiros ,oh Vaqueiros

I had the pleasure of enjoying this Brazilian experience in York, just before Christmas. A lively ,friendly place and just what you can image of a Brazilian rodizo. I think we are all now looking to venture to try something different and this was certainly "up my street".

The meat was just amazing and the salads were quite special too with generous prawns and anchovies and other little fishy treats on the salad bar too .

The concept is you help yourself to salad and then the waiters come round with meat cooked on skewers until you can eat no more. My photo maybe gave a bad representation of how good the cuts of meat was but trust me it wasn't just sausages and a bit of meat ,It was as much meat as you can eat. Each person has tongs and as the waiter starts to carve it off you take hold of it with your tongs and put it on your plate..quite a fun thing to do .It all adds to the atmosphere and the making of a good night out. Huge selections of drinks and Brazilian music all add to this. For non meat eaters there are other fish to be had and a selection for vegetarians too . But with people like Jack and our friends the meat eaters are in their element.

It was nice to meet the owner Richard Beal as his family hail from the Malton/Pickering area. And as I went to school at Malton we straight away had plenty to talk about .

I am sure there will be a lot of our guests who take a break from their tourist trip when they seek refreshments and head here as it is at No 1 Micklegate which is where the old Co-op used to be so not far at all from the very centre of town.
Ironically it was where I used to go to see Santa Claus 50 plus years ago to go on the sleigh ride to Lapland .This time there was no doors side by side to trick you into thinking we had gone to the North Pole or to Brazil for that matter but it is a trip worth doing.

The Ryedale Business Award Finalists

Today the finalists were announced for the First ever Ryedale Business Awards. www.ryebas.co.uk.

The Judges were

Councillor Linda Cowling.
Ian Rogers
Richard Shaw


The finalists are as follows

Learning and Development sponsored by Alex Yoxall Photography

Ryetools
The Jones Partnership
Viva Hair

Community Contribution  sponsored by Handy Mag

Helmsley Walled Garden
Libby Butler Jewellers - Carolyn Frank
Terrington Stores

Young Entrepreneur sponsored by Ryedale District Council

Fergus Court Funeral Services
Gemma Richardson
GVT Painting and Decorating

Innovation sponsored by Vale Radio

Consultancy Team
High Farndale
The Stick Man


Rural Diversification sponsored by Anna Lupton

Happy Paws Boarding
Deepdale Farm Weddings
Studford Luxury Lodges

Start Up Business sponsored by Federation of Small Businesses

Horsetown Beers
The Cutting Shed
Willow Green Estate Agents


Long Standing Business sponsored by Pearson and Ward [Ware and Kay]

Claridges of Helmsley
RV Rogers Roses
R Yates &Sons
Terry Elsey Tyres

Ryedale Champion sponsored by Gillies Jones

Cuckavalda Gundogs
Easterby Racing
Tommy Banks


The winners will be announced at the Ryedale Business Awards which are to be held on Tuesday 24th Jan 2017 at the White Swan of Ampleforth by kind permission of Simon Parker, Robert Fawcett and Edward Fawcett who have sponsored the event.

Tickets are available  £15  from Handy Mag Office in Market Place Malton or Anna Lupton on 01347 868526. Cheques made payable to Ryedale Business Awards.

Breakfast will be served at 9.30am  and the winners announced by Vale Radio and transmitted live throughout the morning.

The event will end at 11.30am.

The White Swan will remain open should anyone wish to stay on for further celebratory drink and lunch will be available to be purchased.

WRA 2106 - the largest tourism awards in the country

Last week Harrogate saw over 1000 people attend the WRA2016 awards .I was lucky enough to be invited as a guest of Robert and Edward Fawcett who had 2 of their businesses in as finalists to win an award-Studford LuxuryLodges and the Fairfax Arms in Gilling .
Love a black tie event and I took a selfie which some people said I looked scary I thought more started rabbit in headlights syndrome but that is what happens when you take a selfie.
Last year Jack went with me as we were finalists and up for the best bed and breakfast . This year the pressure was off and I must say a lot nicer venue than last year...it was held at the new Yorkshire Event Centre on the Yorkshire Show ground. The amazing Heather Parry runs the show and is so organised and laid back about it all . Heather was on the board of Deliciously Yorkshire when I was too a few year ago and I always admired her organisational skills.
We had a prime table,  to the Yorkshire Cricket Team to our left and Annie Stirk and her husband Ken who runs Absolutely Food  -they bought a fox red Labrador from Jack 4 years ago .oN their table to was The Yorkshire food finder and Flat cap chef -Sue Nelson and husband Aidan. just behind us to the left was Frances Atkins of the Yorke Arms ,Ramsgill sharing a table with James McKenzie from the Pipe and Glass at South Dalton and a pair of French men who were VIP from the cyling world.
The food was wonderful .... I will go anywhere for a good meal ... and it certainly was.