BELL Busk farmer Sam Moorhouse, and his mum and dad, Brian and Judith, welcomed Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Si King to their Hesper Farm as part of the duo’s BBC television cookery show, The Hairy Bikers Go North.

Sam, who makes Icelandic dairy product, skyr, using milk from the family’s award winning Aireburn herd - where all the cows are known by their names and not numbers - told Dave and Si how he had travelled to Iceland to learn how to make skyr, which uses about four times the amount of milk as in the usual pot of yoghurt, so is very high in protein, and is naturally fat-free.

It is now doing so well, is sold in supermarkets, that the dairy is having to expand.

The cooking duo have travelled across the north of the country in search of food producers and cooks doing something different. In the ‘West Yorkshire’ programme of series, which we shall have to forgive them for, they stopped off at the Moorhouse family farm before heading off to Harrogate (whoops) and also Halifax.

They left Hesper Farm with several pots of the creamy skyr and later used it to make some blueberry muffins; which did look quite delicious. Hairy Bikers Go North goes out on Thursdays on BBC2, or catch up with their visit to Hesper Farm on i-Player.

Of course, it's not the first time the duo have visited the area - back in 2008 they were in Skipton for a spot of cooking at the castle.

AS we approach ‘Salmon Sunday’ it was interesting to read in the Craven Herald of 50 years ago of the ‘free fishers’ who caught salmon in the River Ribble.

Salmon Sunday was traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday in November when once hundreds of people would gather at the bridge over the River Ribble at Paythorne to watch the salmon on their way up the river.

At the end of October, 1971, in its then diary column, the paper made mention of the practice of ‘free-fishing’, which mercifully, is not about anymore - one hopes anyway.

Salmon fishers of old, it said, were ‘free fishers’, who caught the fish by hand. Salmon were salted, dried and hung like ‘flitches of bacon’.

It continued there were two methods of catching salmon on the Ribble. There was ‘cobbling’, when a net was held across the river into which salmon were driven from the spawning beds. or ‘lowing’, where a three pronged fork covered with rags soaked in tar was used. The tar was set alight and, in the glare, the salmon were docile, and presumably, could be lifted easily out of the river.

I can just imagine what would happen to anyone who tried such a thing nowadays, there being so many people about eager to catch a glimpse of the leaping fish.

I’M pretty sure at least one Craven councillor has recently said something very much like ‘action-not words’ is needed in the fight against littering.

What makes it all seem rather shocking is that is exactly what their counterparts were saying, also 50 years ago.

Back at the end of October, 1971, the Craven Herald reported on how a Clapham Councillor had told a meeting in Settle that ‘action and not words was needed to combat the litter menace in the Dales’.

The council urged for more publicity and higher fines - much like present day councillors.

Back in 1971, the council had even written to the Government’s Department for the Environment and its Department of Education and Science to see what could be done.

A polite reply from the DoE said it was pleased to hear the council was attempting to tackle littering in the national park, and that it was disappointing it had not had worked. It had increased fines for littering from £10 to £100, but it was so difficult to catch people in the act, it said.

The DoES also replied, agreeing how important education was and a code of conduct for school visits was being put in place.

The meeting further heard of ‘unofficial rubbish dumps’, and it wasn’t just visitors. One suggested refuse tips should be sited every 20 miles or so where people could take their waste and have it collected by the council every six months or so.

NOW, I don’t normally read Hello! magazine, unless I’m in the hairdressers, when it is something of a guilty pleasure, but I did take a look at the October edition, to see the very splendid pictures of Broughton Hall, near Skipton, and its custodian, Roger Tempest, his partner, Paris Ackrill and their young child, Aya.

In the interview, the couple talk about their plan to create the largest woodland in England, and to eventually see 30 per cent of their land turned over to trees.

The 16th century mansion with its 97 rooms, set in 3,000 acres of woodland and moorland, crossed over by the trackbed of the former Skipton to Colne railway, is much used by television and film companies.

It can currently be seen in BBC’s Riley Road and as Mrs Pumphrey’s home in Channel 5’s All Creatures Great and Small.

It will also return to our screens in the new series of Gentleman Jack.

SKIPTON’S High Corn Mill is getting ready to host two Christmas charity events within its festive courtyard - and they include a first for me - a fake cake bake, where I’m guessing people can buy a cake to donate, rather than make their own. Fans of the a Calender Girls movie, may well recall the Helen Mirren character doing just that for a competition, and winning first prize!

Back, to High Corn Mill, on Tuesday November 30, from 6pm to 9pm, business owners Claire McGillycuddy of Balanced Life Physiotherapy and beautician Jessica Smithson will host a Christmas fair in aid of the Throat Cancer Foundation.

A variety of stalls, will sell everything from candles and cards to clothes, jewellery and beauty products, joining existing businesses for an evening of shopping, along with sales of mulled wine and mince pies plus a raffle.

Claire said: “Jess and I wanted to do something special after 18 months of difficult times. The idea is to bring a little festive cheer to High Corn Mill and the wider Skipton community.

“We both love Christmas and what it means to celebrate with loved ones – along with any excuse for a minced pie, mulled wine and shopping locally.”

A few days later, on Thursday December 9, mill owner Andrew Mear is organising a lunchtime charity cake bake between 11.30am and 2.30pm. Cakes to eat on the day or take away will be on sale, along with mulled wine, coffees and teas. All proceeds will be in aid of Parkinson’s UK.

“Everyone is welcome and we’re inviting anyone who would like to, to bake or fake a cake in aid of a good cause. Positioned at the heart of one of Skipton’s most historic buildings, our courtyard always looks at its best at Christmas and makes a perfect spot for events like this,” said Andrew.

CRAVEN Country Ride, at Coniston Cold, a great day out for horse riders, and their mounts, of course, has closed for the season - but there will be two Christmas trail days in December.

Meanwhile, David and his team at Pot Haw Farm had a bit of fun at the end of October and celebrated Halloween by placing pumpkins around the course. Riders were invited to count the pumpkins on their way around, and the rider who came up with the correct number was put forward into a prize draw.

The Christmas trail days will take place on Sunday, December 5, and Sunday December 12. See : www.pothawfarm.co.uk