Breakfast fuels us for the day (From Craven Herald)

Breakfast fuels us for the day

12:44pm Thursday 26th January 2012 in From The Farm By Liz Hird

It’s back round to Farmhouse Breakfast week and, as a result, we have been busy. On Saturday, after Richmond Farmers’ Market, I went to a Farmhouse B&B at the other side of Northallerton (Lovesome Hill) to take some granola for the charity breakfast they are holding.

Over the three days they are expecting around 200 guests who will sit down to a hearty Yorkshire breakfast. Everything on offer will be produced in Yorkshire, whether it be be grown, laid, cured, jammed, baked or blended! The proceeds will go to local charities.

By the time I got to Northallerton it was a pleasant afternoon, though bitterly cold, and I was very grateful for a warming cup of tea sitting by the Aga. Driving home the sky was clear and the setting sun left everything bathed in a pinky golden glow that made it look a good deal warmer than it actually was. Just as my dad used to say, it was one of those days that was a nice day behind glass!

On the journey home, as me and my fellow travellers left Bedale, across the fields to our left large, fast-moving black clouds could be seen dipping and twisting into spectacular shapes. Starlings – and what a sight they were. I actually stopped the car to watch, as did several other drivers.

Stuart went to Lancaster yesterday and on his way back to Skipton reported a similar sighting near Long Preston, and I have seen the same flock again tonight on my way up to Settle.

On Sunday I went to Ingleton to Country Harvest to do a “tasting session” for Farmhouse Breakfast week, which involves offering customers samples of our cereal and talking about how we make the product and the benefits of having a healthy breakfast.

In talking to people I was surprised to learn how many people don’t do breakfast, only a cup of tea or coffee, leaving it until 11o'clock before they actually felt like eating something. I'm not sure how they manage to motor in the morning without fuel. I certainly couldn't and I know my lot wouldn't without a good breakfast.

The snowdrops are out, which is a good sign. In the walled garden at the side of the house, under the shelter of the top wall, there they are under the apple trees, peeping through the dead leaves. Some are quite well out, with their delicate bell-shaped heads on show, but petals still tightly closed.

It would be difficult to pick them yet as their stalks are still quite short, so to get some “spring” into the house and brighten things up, last week I treated myself to a couple of bunches of daffodils.... and they're lovely. Even though the nights are beginning to draw out, spring is still quite a long way away, so for now I will just have to pretend!