A Yorkshire Heart will be there too, joining in the fun at the county’s top family festival at Crayke, North Yorkshire. We will join a range of theatre, drama and storytelling activities, 100 top bands playing over three days on five stages, plus a huge beer and cider festival, modern mystery plays, a night cabaret, comedy tent, family fun, fabulous food and beautiful camping. The madcap York ArtsBarge crew will be there in force, bringing you cabaret, music, wondrous wackiness, frills and frolics, and a good cup of tea too. Clay Fish will be contributing magic, drama, film-making and even a yo-yo workshop. Entry costs just £90* for a weekend ticket or £50* for the day so it must be one of the best-priced festivals ever, in the setting of a wonderful hilltop arena overlooking the Vale and City of York. Mark Morriss (The Bluetones), Chris Helme (Seahorses), Ellen & the Escapades and Jon Gomm are also on the billing.

For real ale lovers

You can do better than start with York’s very own brewery. The York Brewery has a number of music-free watering holes, with the atmosphere firmly on the good stuff. They also operate tours around the Brewery – perfect for stag parties or ale lovers. The Yorkshire Terrier on Stonegate serves a decent pub lunch and serves up the York Brewery beers; Guzzler, Yorkshire Terrier and Centurion Ghost. You can even sample a selection of the beers in mini test-tube style glasses.

Child-friendly

The Blue Bell on Fossgate is tiny but an excellently preserved Victorian pub with a listing in CAMRA’s National Inventory. It’s cosy, and has two very small rooms but is child-friendly and a lovely place for an afternoon pint when in town.

The Black Swan on Peasholme Green is full of history, resident ghosts and very atmospheric. A medieval timber-framed house, it has a lovely patio garden, well-kept beers and hosts a child-friendly folk session on some Sundays. Read our write up of Wee Folk here.

Tucked-away boltholes

The Minster Inn on Marygate is a real hidden gem. Built in 1903 it has Edwardian & Victorian features, including a tiled hallway and small but beautifully kept rooms. A good selection of unusual beers, and the wine is decent too. It is listed as one of CAMRA’s ‘Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs’.

City slicking

Both the Lamb & Lion, and Guy Fawkes Inn (built on the spot where he was born) s are perfectly located in the Minster Quarter of York. Both can get very busy, but the Lamb & Lion has the City’s best Beer Garden, overlooked by the prettiest section of the City Walls. A long-standing favourite is the Olde Starre Inn on Stonegate. It is York’s oldest pub and a grade II listed building. The pub was one used by Cromwell’s roundheads as a hospital and a mortuary. The Maltings on Lendal Bridge has great views & a convivial atmosphere. They are currently building a new extension which looks promising.

Meet the locals

The Swan, Bishopthorpe Road. Our local and personal favourite, the Swan has a great beer, delicious home-made pork pies, a sunny courtyard garden (child-friendly!) and many friendly faces. The perfect place to spend an afternoon away from the crowds in York and you can walk off the excess down by the river and into Rowntree Park. In Bishophill, The Golden Ball is a former CAMRA Pub of the Year, also boasts a fine garden, bar billiards and a cosy snug. A local’s favourite, it is usually peaceful and shows most of the main sporting games.

It wouldn’t be too unkind to say that this year’s Galtres festival got off to a bit of a shaky start. Torrential rain all day Friday had reduced the parking, and most of the on-site camping, to a boggy wasteland by the early evening. Some car parks were shut while still half empty to prevent people being caught in the mud, which led to a bit of a breakdown in communication and one or two frustrated punters. However, the persistence of the rain and the miserable state of the ground underfoot did nothing to dampen spirits once the music kicked off.

Boots were a godsend in the mud!

British Sea Power followed an atmospheric set by Mostly Autumn, with a typically gutsy performance, playing to a large crowd including plenty of loyal (rain-soaked) supporters. The audience were pretty lively, with the contingent of BSP fans ensuring a good, raucous atmosphere. In Fear of Olive impressed on the firkin stage afterwards, with great vocals accompanied by excellent musicianship and an authentic, bluesy feel.

British Sea Power fans braving the rain

The following morning heralded a welcome return from the sun and with it, plenty of smiles! Also due in no small part (from my point of view at least) to Boogie Breakfasts, who kept up a steady stream of bacon, mushroom, sausage and veggie sausages all morning to keep spirits up.

One of Saturday afternoon’s highlights were Eureka Machines, who played an energetic and well crafted half hour set, crammed with dangerously catchy pop-punk tunes. Perhaps not unexpectedly, The Charlatans (with special-guest support slot from Shed Seven) played to the biggest crowd of the weekend with a good couple of thousand turning out at the Duke’s stage to hear all the old favourites. Another big draw on Saturday was David Ward Maclean and the York mariachi scratch band, who played to a packed out Firkin stage. The crowd really got behind them with singalongs and a pastiche-cum-tribute to the Leonard Cohen favourite “Hallelujah”, which went down well. Over on the Duke’s stage, THePETEBOX mesmerised with crazy loop pedal skills and inventive use of the human voice and a guitar. The fabulous Littlemores were the last band I saw on Sunday night, combining the lyrical wit and world weariness of the Arctic Monkeys with catchy ska and reggae infused hooks.

The variety and strength in depth of this year’s lineup stood out, showing that the organisers were really on their game when it came to booking the acts. The same was also emphatically true of the catering. I was only able to sample a fraction of what was on offer but some of the highlights were; Afro-Caribbean, serving delicious goat wraps. For those who are yet to try goat, I would strongly recommend you do! Here, it was tender, succulent and barbecued to perfection. Sizzle and Spice again proved massively popular; their delicious curries proving the ideal accompaniment to an evening with the Arts Barge collective, who were sharing their tent. Tasty Treatz lived up to their name with vegetable curry that certainly was, their lentil dhal was also particularly good.

Enjoying the Star Shade

There were tons of diversions aside from the music and food. The star shade area was a welcome addition this year, featuring fairground rides and a giant, technicoloured spider’s web, woven from balls of coloured string by a gaggle of contented kids.  Children (and some adults, ahem) were mesmerised by the storytelling too, which provided a welcome respite from the non-stop activity (and rain) elsewhere. The Snickelway theatre group put on enjoyable productions and workshops for children in the pash tent, while over in the Little Top, Dan Nightingale held it all together with hilarious audience interaction and witty asides. Beth Black left little to the imagination with adult content that left you wincing and biting your fist at the sight of 3 rows of children crowding the front of the stage!

Without even getting me started on the comprehensive selection of Yorkshire beer, wine and cider on offer, Galtres was an overall success. Very few people went away feeling anything other than happy and satisfied after an excellent weekend of top class entertainment of one sort or another.

Book now for next year’s festival. Prices rise by one pound per week, so get in early to snap up the cheap tickets!

Nestled in a remote corner of the Hambleton Hills, just on the edge of the North York Moors, sits a perfect idyll for whiling away a Sunday lunch and afternoon.  When Alec, Rose and I arrived at The Black Swan pub in Oldstead, believe it or not with the weather being so bad lately, it was a hot and sunny day.  Even more magical, it was the first Sunday of our Yorkshire staycation.

The view over the Hambleton Hills

Alec has wanted to eat at this pub for ages.  Indeed, he visited it with Rose and his parents last year for a drink during a walk.  However, this time we meant business and, having settled Rose off to sleep, we arrived for an unadulterated peaceful lunch.

We sat outside under a tree in the dappled sunshine drinking up the atmosphere of the surroundings. Alec had a pint of Guinness and me a crisp, refreshing Pouilly-Fumé by the glass, chosen from an extensive and impressive by-the-glass menu. It was pure relaxation.

The food, we had heard from friends, was supposed to be amazing.  And it didn’t let us down. As ever, so neither of us had food envy, we decided to go Dutch on the mains. I ordered a seasonal broad bean risotto with truffles and Alec couldn’t resist his favourite, roast beef with all the trimmings.

Both meals were delicious and thank goodness we shared.  My risotto was cooked to perfection and luckily for me I bumped into the chef on my way out and persuaded him to give me the recipe.  The beef arrived, as it should, pink and tender accompanied by a mini cauliflower cheese in a small copper pot along with roast potatoes and a selection of green veggies.

We stayed for teas and coffees, with homemade petit fours, which negated the need for a dessert.  Although the choice was tempting, with a selection such a Dark Chocolate Brownie with Peanut Butter Ice-cream and Valrhona Chocolate Mousse,  Black Swan Apple Crumble & Custard or a cheeseboard.

This pub certainly lived up to its reputation for being a foodies pub. Better still, if you have the cash and a special occasion to celebrate, it has four bedrooms which have been recently renovated to a high standard.  On the pub’s website these rooms promise views of beautiful rolling countryside. However, on inspection this was not apparent.

We have put this pub in our top 10 favourite places to have lunch in Yorkshire… so we’ll be back.  But prices are relatively expensive, with mains starting at £15 and going up to £19 and starters and puddings at £6 to £8.  We had better get saving.

http://blackswanoldstead.co.uk

Ask Galtres festival director, James Houston, for his favourite memories of last year’s event and his answers may go some way to showing you why it’s so well thought of locally. I got the chance to find out this, and more besides, when I spoke to him recently about the impending arrival of August bank holiday weekend and with it, Galtres 2011.

The Little-Top pulls in the crowds

One of the great things about Galtres is that, unlike other festivals of comparable size, it hasn’t just grown ad-hoc year on year. It has had its own manifesto from as early as its second summer, when it was still a beer festival held on the local cricket pitch. This has ensured that through steady growth and increase in both size and standing, the festival has retained its charm and remained faithful to its original ethos. James admitted that they have achieved this in spite of numerous opportunities to ‘sell-out’ for quick but ultimately short-lived financial gain. “We could have filled the site with generic hot-dog stands and stuffed the bill with runners-up from T.V. talent shows and still drawn the crowds, but selling-out cheapens the brand and loses sight of the core values that we’ve worked hard to preserve”.

Wide-eyed wonder at The Festival of Fun

This year’s Galtres will be the biggest yet, with a larger site and an increased capacity of 5,000, which shows they must be doing something right. Asked if he would like to see the festival grow indefinitely, James was quite certain that numbers this year were about the optimum, “For this site, 5,000, is just right; it means the festival is manageable with just a close-knit team of volunteers. We don’t need to get in any big event management companies” This too, goes towards keeping Galtres faithful to its founding ethos of good beers, good food and good music (not necessarily in that order!).

Intrigue on and off stage

On top of this, Galtres is a local festival that cares about the locals. All caterers present have been teamed up with local suppliers and encouraged to source organic and fair-trade produce, which cuts down the overall carbon footprint as well as benefiting the local economy. Breweries and wine producers are all from within Yorkshire and even the bands (excepting the headliners) hail from the region as well!

Perhaps this begs the question of whether Galtres should be seen as a music festival with beer and food, a beer festival with food and music or a food festival with music and beer(?!). Again, Galtres have this one covered; James says “We see it rather, as four festivals in one; the festival of music and dance, the festival of beer and cider, the festival of food and the festival of fun. All these are equally important elements, helping to make Galtres what it is.”

Dance Classes

It speaks volumes about how central each of these facets is that James’ highlights from last year include; the children’s workshops he attended with his own son; watching headliners The Beat and lastly; kicking back, enjoying a well-earned beer with fellow organisers and festival volunteers (before the cleanup began in earnest).

Asked about what he’s looking forward to for this year, James cites a couple of new additions to the proceedings; “We’ll be running ‘G-factor’. It’s a talent contest without any agenda other than showcasing the young musical talent which abounds in the local area, which I’m really excited about. Also, the Star-Shade area will bring something different for all ages, there’ll be music, storytelling, drama and some surprises.”

So there you have it, Galtres is a festival with a conscience; not-for-profit, green, ethical and beneficial to the local economy. Why can’t all festivals be like this?

Click here for tickets and more information on Galtres’ Mission Statement!

photos courtesy of Winston Sanders

That said, it was great. The bands were staggered perfectly so you could see much more than you achieve at a larger festival. The food was great. The camping was everything you needed and there were about 50 swingballs and a huge area to keep the kids entertained. The parking was free and not far from the campsite which was right next to the modest arena. It was spotless with ample bins available and people seemed to just use them no question.

Headliners I am Kloot

The stalls were enough to keep you entertained between acts and the extension to include the Friday night with bands and big top cabaret made a full weekend of it as did the Craft Market that sprung up Sunday morning whilst we all slept. It was so simply put together with the people really making the event. The thought that had gone into it was endless – from the cardboard boxes that appeared one morning for the kids to clamber around in to the birds of prey display which beat all the bands for me!

It was relaxed. It was a whole audience sitting on their picnic blankets though an entire band because they’d had a hard week at work and just wanted to relax and enjoy themselves. An opportunity to try something new from making a sock puppet or a cardboard guitar to a venison burger and a pint of the local tipple.

Strawberries & Cream at Deershed

The festival is well priced for the three days with camping and parking included. I knew enough of the bands and have found a few new favourites. A good showcase of local talent they also manage to bring in some bigger names. I did the maths a few times and still can’t work out how they did this on ticket sales. Let’s hope they did and fingers crossed that they bring it back next year bigger, better but still as wonderfully charming.

It’s not often you get a free lunch. Well today not only did we get a free lunch, we also got free wine and even dessert. ‘Was there a catch?’ I hear you ask. And the answer is no. All we had to do was work out which restaurants we wanted to visit and turn up. Yes it was a simple as that. It’s all part of the Taste Trail, now in its second year and a fringe event of the Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival.

And an added bonus this year was a free wine tasting by Rob Hoult from Hoult’s, sponsors of the trail. Not only is Rob a wine expert he is also very entertaining. So in under an hour we had an enjoyable wine journey around the world which included Italian Prosecco frizzante, South African rosé and French and Australian red wine.

Wine tasting at Hoults

Then as the clock struck two, it was time for our food journey of 10 restaurants around Huddersfield to begin. We began with a taste of Mexico at Gringos and sampled their famous beef and chicken fajitas. We then moved across the globe to India and got to try some sexy mushrooms and chicken tikka at Balooshai.

Sexy Mushrooms at Balooshai

Next stop was Europe at Bradley’s where we had one of my favourite foods of the day and a new creation by the chef – a pineapple soup with fresh mint and vanilla foam. It was great to see a restaurant experimenting and asking for feedback.

Refreshing Pineapple Soup at Bradleys

It was then back to the India at Chilli Lounge and last year’s winner of the Taste Trail. With an array of different curries including meat, fish and chicken you can tell that they were pulling out the stops to retain their crown. At this point we were beginning to feel quite full so thankfully we got a bit of a breather at our next stop, Scarlet Restaurant at Casino Red, as their selection of canapés were running low.

The array of curries on offer at Chilli Lounge

Argentina was next and Argento’s provided mini samples of meat dishes, a glass of their house red and slice of cake. Lebanon was the final stop on our culinary world tour and we got to try a variety of dishes including falafels, hummus and stuffed vine leaves at Med-One. At this point I’m afraid we had to admit defeat. Not even the scones at Keys, charcoal Tandoori dishes at Chutney Mahal and Memsahib’s tasters could sway us although we did hear lots of good things about Chutney Mahal.

Tucking in at Argentos

It was a fantastic day and a great way to sample some of Huddersfield’s restaurants. It also felt like being part of a special food gang as you kept spotting people along the trail with their leaflet and you could compare notes with strangers who felt more like friends for the day.
The Taste Trail started last year along with the Real Ale Trail. The aim was to get people to try out different restaurants and pubs in the town centre that they would want to go back to as well as getting more local businesses involved in the food and drink festival. And it seems to be working.We met a couple at the end of the Taste Trail who have already booked to go back to the Chilli Lounge on Monday.
But don’t worry if you missed this year’s Taste Trail, some of the restaurants will be at this week’s Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival which starts on Thursday (11 August) and runs until Sunday. There’s also still time to do the Real Ale Trail (also runs until Sunday) and why not create your own taste trail and start sampling some of Huddersfield’s great restaurants?

The Huddersfield Festival of Food and Drink takes place from the 11th -14th August. For further information & a detailed programme of events,  visit the Huddersfield Festival of Food & Drink website.

Marie-Claire Micuta runs an underground tea room called Cafe Nouveau at Home in Huddersfield where she opens up her grade 2 listed Edgar Wood house for monthly themed afternoon teas. She also makes celebration cakes and cupcakes under the name of Nouveau Cakes. Her passions include food, wine and Huddersfield and occasionally blogs about all three!

http://cafenouveau.wordpress.com/about/
www.twitter.com/nouveaucakes
www.facebook.com/nouveaucakes

The music spans a wide slice of genres featuring some fine purveyors of Black music; from Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye to De la Soul and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. The night will walk you through Hip-Hop and Funk, by way of Soul, to Reggae-Dancehall and Reggae, taking in a load of other mash-ups and mixes. On top of that, it’s just a few quid to get in (£3 advance and £4 on the door).

Box fresh vinyls

It’s being run by part of the team that brought you the Full Moon Reggae charity nights last year, so you’re guaranteed some sweet tunage and experienced DJs who know how to pack out the floor. I spoke to Ali (one half of the DJ duo behind Bassment) to get his take on how their opening night went;

“The night attracted a really friendly crowd. There was a big mix of ages and a real party atmosphere. All-in-all, a definite success”

So if you’re tired of hearing the same old tunes on a Saturday night or just want to broaden your musical horizons then Bassment could be what you’ve been looking for. For your next chance to get skankin’, get yourself down to the Basement at City Screen on Saturday the 17th of September and ‘get down’ to Bassment.

Visit their site or facebook page for more info

All this talk of a new clubnight in York has left me wondering what else is out there. Here are a few more I think worthy of your attention (and attendance);

Freakin;

Started in 1996 at The Arts centre, Freakin represents quality House music, fiercely proud of its open-minded attitude and a well established draw for lovers of House and Techno in the north. A mix of top House and Techno DJs from around the world share the decks with Freakin’s regulars Rich Clark, Jax, Leo Clayton and Patrick Funk. The atmosphere at Freakin is one of its major assets; a lot of the crowd have been there since the beginning, all of which makes for a really inclusive feel.

Up the racket at fibbers;

York’s longest running Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll Club, running since February 2005, is now back in the fully refurbished & bigger Fibbers. Always guaranteed to throw up a boxful of classics to keep you glued to the dance floor (not literally). Fridays, 10:30 ’til 4:30 £3 admission before midnight with flyer (£5 afterwards)

Blackout at The Duchess;

Rock night at the duchess. Fridays, 11 til 3. For people whose tastes dictate a little more oomph, a new rock night in York! With DJs Yog, Lauren and Sye bringing you an all manner of headbanging, thunderous tunes for you to thrash the night away to. Drinks promos and £3 entry before midnight (£5 after).

There Was a Time  at Kennedy’s;

Playing classic 60′s & 70′s Northern Soul, Ultra Modern, Soulful Jazz, Soulful Latin & 60′s R&B and up-and-comers. With resident DJ’s; Barry Forth, Jay Cee and Ricky Nelson. Downstairs at Kennedy’s Wine Bar,1a Little Stonegate. Fridays 8pm – 2am free entry.

Some of the more observant among you may have noticed a new presence on the river Ouse in York last month. Next to the Bonding Warehouse by Skeldergate bridge, there appeared a mysterious and hitherto unseen vessel, comings and goings and a bustle of activity day and night. Closer inspection would reveal only three words; The Arts Barge.

I climbed aboard to find out just what it all meant and hear more about The Arts Barge Project.

First formed in 2008, the whole thing started as a group of people talking about the late ‘Arts Centre’ in York, which sadly closed its doors in 1999. All agreed that without a physical focal point and a dedicated space to showcase arts, the York scene could never thrive. This lead them to the brilliantly leftfield yet thoroughly practical and wholly realisable solution of using a barge to provide that space. And so the project was born. Fast-forwarding three years to the present day, much has been achieved already; from outgrowing the venue in its first incarnation, to their veritable taking over of last year’s Galtres festival, a pop-up pub tour, two nights at the grand opera house in York and now this, hiring a boat for the Festival of the Rivers. So far, the popularity and growing interest have demonstrated a real appetite in the city for what they are offering.

Jazz below deck

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable evening below deck, relaxing to a bit of jazz, sampling the excellent food on offer (spicy vegetable pilau) and washing it down with a couple of pints of York Brewery’s finest (Yorkshire Terrier and Guzzler). There was a real buzz about the place, a lively and appreciative audience, friendly volunteers and quite an informal, house-party atmosphere. If this is anything to go by as far as the ultimate aim of the project, then I think the people of York are in for a treat!

With each event, their vision has been brought nearer to realisation; as momentum gathers, word is spread, awareness is raised and more people want to get on board (sorry, couldn’t resist). The opportunity to show just what can be done with the space afforded by a mid-sized barge has brought the project to many peoples’ attention. As far as publicity goes, hiring a big boat, mooring it in town and filling it to bursting with a collective of artists, musicians and generally motivated and enthusiastic individuals is about as direct as you can get. It has served as a real demonstration of the vision they are striving to achieve as well as a statement of their intent; they clearly mean business.

The barge from the bridge

Even as the month-long ‘dry-run’ drew to a close, it really didn’t feel at all like the end, the Arts Barge crew will be back on dry land this summer when they will once again descend on Galtres Festival. This time around, they’ll be bringing with them a dizzying assortment of performers with interactive and eclectic shows and the project will run on with the five original volunteers at the helm. If things continue to progress as they have been, the prospect of a dedicated floating arts space in York is a very real one.

To find out more about what’s in store, where to find them and what the arts Barge project could do for you, visit their website

All photos courtesy of Ashley Kilgallon

Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I am writing this. But Bridlington is the new… the new… well it’s the place to be on a hot, balmy, sunny Yorkshire day.  I’ve been blown away by the unassuming coastal town’s amazing South beach. It’s the perfect place to start a staycation. Yesterday my mother-in-law, Rose and I packed a picnic and headed for the coast.  We contemplated going to Filey but, afraid the tide might spoil our fun, we plumped for Bridlington.

It’s a scenic 45 minute drive from York across the Prairie-like Wolds to the golden sands.  Having never been before I had no idea what to expect. When I had told friends where we were heading they thought we were mad. But, when we arrived, the view was spectacular.  The tide was out showing off the long, clean expanse of golden sand.  The beach, peppered with the a few locals with their children, was ours for the taking.

We made our camp by the sand dunes and set to making sand castles much to Rose’s delight.  It was so warm it felt like we were abroad.  The fine, soft sand could have been on a far flung beach.  Closing my eyes, soaking up the rays, it was hard to believe I was in Yorkshire. That was the best thing about it. No check-ins, no hoards of people and no hassle. It was just a clean, safe expanse of beach ready for family fun and on our doorstep.

Rose eagerly got into her swimming costume and headed, bucket and spade in hand, straight towards the twinkly, calm sea.  Fearlessly she sat in the warm pools of water and squealed with delight.  Bravely, she lay down and sang her favourite song, “little green frog”, whilst pretending to swim. Upping the ante we ventured into the big sea to dip our toes. Much to my surprise it was warm (well, ankle deep was warm…. we weren’t as brave as the locals who were actually swimming, this was the North Sea after all).

Rose enjoying the warm waters

What struck me about Bridlington’s beach was that it stretched as far as the eye could see.  That even if the whole of Yorkshire had arrived for the day there was plenty of room for us all.  The sea was perfect for paddling with gentle waves rolling onto the warm, soft sand.

Rose in the sea

It was truly relaxing and we felt invigorated by our day.  A word of caution would be to pack a comprehensive picnic as the amenities were lacking (and I can’t vouch for the town itself). However, the rudimentary cafe supplied us with ice-creams and a cool drink. What more could you want on a hot, sunny day?

Car parking was £3.50 for the day.