Christmas Wreathes to order for pick up from The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop Wisbech

We're now taking orders for traditional foliage Christmas wreathes for you to collect on a specific collection date of your choice. Examples can be seen here and hanging outside the farm shop. Pop in to order or telephone 07527 046184 

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

After the Armistice Ball A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery by Catriona McPherson

Another of our occasional book reviews

After the Armistice Ball A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery by Catriona McPherson in which Dandy Dahlia Gilver decides on a spot of amateur sleuthing to discover who stole the Duffy diamonds after the Armistice Ball. 

But things get a lot more serious when a member of the Duffy family, the lovely Cara Duffy, is found dead in a seaside cottage. Although recorded as an accident neither Dandy Gilver or Cara's fiancee, Alec,  can believe that to be the case so they set out to find out the truth.

Both Dandy and Alec are charming characters and I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery, I have to say that I agree with this Scotland on Sunday review:

"Society sleuth Dandy Gilver, is the most engaging and ingenious crime-cracker I've met in ages."

After the Armistice Ball is now for sale in the second hand section of our 50p book sale in the tea room and farm shop. 

The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE140RN

Open daily 10-4

November at The Orchard Wisbech

November, still relatively mild for the time of year but Autumn has well and truly arrived with apples falling and leaves dropping. We've had a few ground frosts and the occasional misty morning, the log burner is back in use making for a lovely warm and cosy atmosphere in the tea room.

Our final dog show of year took place at the end of last month and we're pleased to be able to tell you that it was a great success for The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding who raised £275 for their centre and an additional £30 for Buckhouse RDA.

Back to November, our Art in The Orchard artist is Gill Repper. We're always pleased to welcome this popular Wisbech artist back to exhibit her art in The Orchard Tea Room. Paintings are for sale and what fantastic Christmas gifts they'd make.

Gill is also selling a range of greetings cards in the tea room, very reasonably priced at 5 for £5.

Talking of Christmas and gift ideas, new items have been added to our gift selection including these colourful birds

and what about a hand crocheted woolly hat to keep out the winter chills

if vintage is more your thing we always have a small selection of vintage collectibles waiting for new homes

and take a look at these vintage galvanized flower buckets wouldn't they look fantastic all cleaned up and planted up with Spring flowering bulbs or even a small Christmas tree

£6 each or 3 for £15

Also on November 10th we're hosting a Christmas Wreath Making Workshop, proceeds to The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding Centre, details here. 

Halloween Dog Show Sunday 28th October in aid of The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding

The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding's annual Halloween Dog Show is on Sunday 28th October so we thought we'd share some photographs from previous shows just in case you need some inspiration for the Halloween Fancy Dress contest:

 The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding's Fun Dog Show starts at 10am here at

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE140RN

There are classes to suit everybody and spectators are always welcome. Refreshments available from the tea room which is open 10-4.

Here's the schedule:

1.puppy split pedigree/ x
2.veteran " as above
3.Heinz 57 best mongrel judged by organisers
4.Best Rescue 
5.Open terrier 
6.Hound judged by Kerrie Picolo Kaymark
7.Best Bull breeds 
8.companion
9.Best utility
10.Best Toy
11.Best Pastoral.
12.Working woofers
13.Movement
14 Condition
15.Handsome Dog
16.Prettiest Bitch
17.Dog the organisers would most like to take home. Judged by organisers.
18.Open class in aid of Buckenham House RDA.
19.Handlers 
20.Best Brace Family of dogs judged by the organisers
21 Fancy Dress judged by the organisers.

All classes except 18 . £1.50 pay in the ring .

Rosettes to 6th place 

Awards best puppy best veteran Reserve in show and best in show 
Judge Victoria Watkinson from Upwell ringcraft.championship judged by Victoria.

Apple Day

Today, 21st October is Apple Day.

Apple Day was launched in 1990 by Common Ground. The aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn holiday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.

Here's some information about the very first Apple Day taken from the Common Ground Website 

"The first Apple Day celebrations, in the old Apple Market in London’s Covent Garden, brought fruit to the market after 16 years’ absence. Forty stalls were taken. Fruit growers and nurseries producing and selling a wide variety of apples and trees rubbed shoulders with juice-and cider-makers, as well as writers and illustrators with their apple books.

Representatives of the WI came laden with chutneys, jellies and pies. Mallorees School from North London demonstrated its orchard classroom, while the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust explained how it manages its orchard for wildlife. Marks & Spencer helped to start a trend by offering tastings of some of the 12 ‘old varieties’ they had on sale that autumn. Organic growers were cheek by jowl with beekeepers, amidst demonstrations of traditional and modern juice presses, a calvados still and a cider bar run by the Campaign for Real Ale. Experts such as Joan Morgan identified apples and offered advice, while apple jugglers and magicians entertained the thousands of visitors – far more than we had expected – who came on the day.

For two weeks before Apple Day, in a marquee on the Piazza, Common Ground exhibited the photographs of West Country Orchards we had commissioned from James Ravilious alongside a display of more than 100 different apple varieties. People were amazed at the diversity of shapes, sizes and colours. 

We also offered lunchtime tastings of some of the varieties on show, and many people bemoaned the lack of such choice on supermarket shelves.

We will never know just how many people came to that first celebration – it was certainly thousands and even now we meet people who effuse about it as a memorable event. Many wanted it to be repeated, but our intention was to spread the idea far and wide, encouraging people to celebrate Apple Day for themselves in their own city, village, parish, allotment or garden orchard.

And so the tradition of Apple Day began. Over the next few years, the number of events being organised around the country grew from more than 60 in 1991 to 300 by 1997 and over 600 in 1999, some attracting thousands of people. 

Apple Day has played a part in raising awareness not only of the importance of orchards to our landscape and culture, but also in the provenance and traceability of food. It has been one impetus behind the developing network of farmers’ markets and is helping people everywhere to discover they are not alone in valuing the links between food and the land, between natural resource use and the impact we have on nature."

Here are just a few of the apples you'll find for sale in our farm shop today all grown on site : 

Lord Derby "an excellent culinary apple".

Grenadier originated in the mid-19th century makes great apple sauce.

Bramley apples rosy & ripe.

Happy Apple Day!

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

Decorate your home for Christmas ~ Wreath Making Workshop

Learn how to make traditional Christmas Wreaths and support The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding 

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop & Luncheon 

Saturday November 10th

The Orchard Tea Room, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, Cambs, PE140RN

You'll learn how to make a traditional mixed foliage wreath / or table decoration using locally grown firs, holly, combined with cones etc. £20 per person including refreshments and lunch. Everything is provided all you need to bring along is your enthusiasm and warm clothing. 

This course is for all abilities and once you've learned the wreath making techniques you'll be able to apply them to all sorts of wreathes throughout the year. 

For full details and to book please contact Mel, your fully qualified florist tutor for the day by text on 0771 7553 778 or email Ettabear58@gmail.com or via The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding FB page

Pickled Apples

Have you ever eaten pickled apples? No neither had we until a customer brought us a jar to try, they're very good, especially with cheese or pork.

Here's our customer's recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

700 grams apples ( approx 7 - 10 dessert apples depending on size) peeled, cored & quartered 
500 ml cider vinegar
120 grams white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1/2 tsp of black peppercorns
1 star anise

METHOD:

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the cider vinegar by warming in a saucepan.

Add the spices and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Pack the prepared apples into a preserving jar then pour the spicy vinegar over them filling the jar to the top.

Seal the jar.

You can serve the pickled apples within a few hours if you like but the longer you leave them the more intense the flavour, if the jar is sealed properly they should be okay (unopened) for months. Once open refrigerate and use within a few days.

October at The Orchard

It's going to be a great October here at The Orchard Tea Room

 & Farm shop.

The farm shop has had a bit of a change around, as well as fabulous locally grown veg, 

home made jams & local honey, 

we now have a selection of

super gifts ~ they'd make wonderful Christmas presents.

Talking of Christmas presents our October Art in The Orchard artists Moira Johnson 

and Sally Anne Goodale

have some really lovely original art for sale at incredibly cheap prices, for around the £35 mark you can buy a painting that would literally cost hundreds of pounds in a "posh" gallery. Do come and take a look for yourself, they're exhibiting until the end of October.

It's apple time here at The Orchard and you'll find a selection of our own apples for sale in the farm shop plus we have our ever popular "bird apples" for just £1 a net.

They're not just for birds, our trees haven't been sprayed for 5 years now so although not certified organic the apples are pretty much well organic so they're wonderful for all sorts of creatures, humans included! Great for cider,juice etc

Autumn and the fungi start popping up amongst our old trees

spotting them makes for an interesting walk, especially with the children. Farm shop and tea room customers are welcome to take a walk in the orchard during opening hours. The going can be a bit rough with fallen apples and even the occasional rabbit hole so it's not suitable for pushchairs etc and of course walkers do so at there own risk. 

Sunday 28th October sees the return of The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding 's annual Halloween Dog Show. Always a great favourite we love to watch the Halloween Fancy Dress Competition. 

Dog show details can be found here 

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

Art at The Orchard ~ "Turnips" A Print Exhibition by Julie Parker ~ September 2018

Julie Parker's back with a brand new print exhibition "Turnip".and we're delighted to see her quirky characters decorating the walls of The Orchard Tea Room again.

Julie has been having annual exhibitions here at The Orchard since 2014. In fact Julie Parker was the very first artist to exhibit her art in our tea room so we're always especially pleased to welcome her back here.

Open 10-4 daily until the end of September

Turnip

A Print Exhibition

By Illustrator Julie Parker 

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

August Art at The Orchard ~ Esther Marshall

This August we're delighted to see the return of popular Wisbech artist Esther Marshall to The Orchard Tea Room with an exhibition of original artwork.

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop
Redmoor Lane
Begdale 
Elm
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN
Telephone: 07527 046184
Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

Our dog friendly tea room is featured in an article in The Fens magazine

We made it into this month's edition of local magazine The Fens in a dog walking  article "Walking the Nene Way.

You can read it here:

Dogs on leads are always welcome here and situated as we are just off the A47 at Wisbech we think we're the ideal place to stop on your way to or from Norfolk when travelling with your dog.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Open 10-4 daily 

Apple Snow recipe ~ Snow in summer!

It's been so very hot these last few weeks, time to appreciate a little snow in summer ~ in this case Apple Snow for dessert!

Ingredients:

500 grams (1 lb) Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced.

50 grams (2 ozs) caster sugar.

2 tablespoons water.

2 egg whites.

Grated rind & juice of half a lemon.

Place sliced apples in a saucepan with the water and sugar, bring to the boil then simmer gently for approximately 15 minutes until the Bramleys are fluffy.

Blend to a puree and leave to cool.

When the apple mixture is cool whisk the egg whites until stiff before folding into the apple puree along with the juice & rind of the lemon.

Serve spooned into individual glass bowls.

Nice with sponge fingers. 

Art at The Orchard ~ Mary Win Art by Rosemary Ladeji

Throughout the month of July Rosemary Ladeji of Mary Win Art is exhibiting a selection of her original art work in our tea room. Do pop by and take a look at this local artist's work. Entry is free and we're open daily 10-4.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Apple and strawberry pie ~ recipe

We've been waiting until the English strawberries were in to share this customer recipe for a strawberry and apple pie.

Ingredients:

Pack of ready made shortcrust pastry

7 dessert apples (we suggest Royal Gala but our customer uses whatever she happens to have in her fruit bowl)

500 grams strawberries, washed, plugged & halved

2 tablespoons sugar + additional sugar for sprinkling on the pastry crust

Beaten egg for glazing

Method:

Peel, core & quarter the apples.

Put the apples in a saucepan with the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water, par cook until water is absorbed, watch carefully so the apples don't burn. Remove from heat and add the strawberries, leave to cool while you prepare the pie crusts.

Roll out the pastry and line your greased pie dish with half the pastry reserving the other half for the pie lid.

Spoon the cooled fruit mixture into the pie, top with pastry, seal edges, make a hole in the centre for steam to come out.

Glaze with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar and cook in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes Gas Mark 4, 180c, 350f until the pastry is golden brown.

Remove from the oven, serve warm or cold. Very nice with ice cream.  



.

Georgian Apple and Rose Petal Pie ~ Recipe

Apple pie is a great favourite served with custard or cream but have you ever heard of apple and rose petal pie? No, neither had we until a customer kindly shared this recipe with us:

Ingredients:

225 grams (8ozs)  puff pasty 

675 grams (1 1/2lbs)  Bramley apples

125 grams (4ozs) granulated sugar + additional sugar for sprinkling on crust

Grated rind of 1/2 lemon

A handful of rose petals (scented), washed with the base pinched out.

3 cloves 

A blade of mace 

Beaten egg to glaze

Method:

Peel, core & slice the apples into thick slices.

Place the apple peel, cores, cloves and mace in a saucepan with enough water to cover them.

Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove peelings, cloves and mace before dissolving 125grams of sugar in the syrup, leave to cool.

Put the apple slices in a pie dish, sprinkle the grated lemon rind on top then add the cooled syrup.

Next scatter the rose petals on top.

Roll a pastry lid and cover the pie, leaving a hole to allow steam out.

Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Put the pie dish on a baking tray and cook in a preheated over for 10 minutes on Gas Mark 8, 230c, 450f, followed by a further 30 minutes at Gas Mark 5, 190c, 375f.

Remove from oven and serve with clotted cream. 

Bee Body Part a video for World Bee Day

It's World Bee Day so we thought we'd share this fun video about the structure and function of a bee's body parts.

Interesting use of a toilet brush!

Watch it, it's educational and great fun especially for children :

Bee Bodies: Structure and (Fun)ction from Bug Chicks on Vimeo.

Queen Anne's Lace

It's everywhere at this time of year, in the hedgerows, at the roadside, in the orchard, Queen Anne's Lace :

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace
(She chose a summer day)
And hung it in a grassy place
To whiten, if it may.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has left it there,
And slept the dewy night,
Then waked to find the sunshine fair,
And all the meadows white.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, is dead and gone
(She died a summer's day)
But left her lace to whiten on
Each weed entangled way. 

                                                                                                         Mary Leslie Newton 

Rhubarb Rhubarb Rhubarb ~ a weekend treat ~ Crumble

We're now pulling stalks of green and pink freckled rhubarb by request, you won't get it any fresher than that unless you have a patch of rhubarb in your own garden.

So who fancies rhubarb crumble for pudding?

Everyone has their own favourite crumble topping but just in case you fancy a change  so we thought we'd share ours':

3 ozs of butter
4 tablespoons self-raising flour
2 big handfulls of porridge oats
4 tablespoons of cane sugar

You know what to do don't you? Rub the flour with the butter etc

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch ~ review

If you've ever visited our tea room and farm shop you'll know we have a love of books and reading so we thought it would be nice to share the occasional book review here on our blog:

"Never judge a book by it's cover" ~ but we do don't we?

It was the cover of Charles Finch's A Beautiful Blue Death that caught my eye!

"Charles Lennox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, likes nothing more than to relax ib his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire, and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist the chance to unravel a mystery.

Prudence Smith, one of Jane's former servants, is dead of an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison."

First off I'll say that I did actually enjoy this book BUT I can see how others would find it enormously irritating and throw it aside.

Don't they say "Write what you know about"?

Sorry but Mr Finch doesn't seem to know much about the social mores of Victorian England, the geographical layout of London and maybe not that much about British history. I winced at the use of the name Lady Jane Grey for Lenox's childhood friend. Lady Jane Grey having been the unfortunate 9 day Queen of Tudor England who was executed in in 1554. I further winced at the over familiarity of servants to their employers and amongst many other anomalies was astounded to find Lenox drinking Rye rather than Scotch whiskey.  And for a gentleman to have to ask someone of lower social class than himself where to purchase waterproof boots in an age when someone of Lenox's standing would be wearing made to measure footwear, well that would have been unheard of.

"England and America are two nations separated by the same language" George Bernard Shaw

I also found the use of American English rather than British English somewhat grating ~ Lenox would have changed his trousers not his pants, eaten scones not biscuits etc etc

If you can cast all that aside it's an okay murder mystery, not exactly thrilling or over taxing, a book that's not as good as it's cover!

Having said all that it's now available to purchase in the second hand section of our 50p book sale in the tea room and farm shop.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Open 10-4 daily 

Interview with the artist ~ Moira Johnson

Moira Johnson is currently exhibiting her art here at The Orchard with another local artist Sally Anne Goodale, as we last interviewed Moira back in 2016 we thought it would be nice to catch up again with a fresh interview. 

Moira please tell us about your work? 

I first started painting in watercolour, then progresses to oils which I loved. As oils are very messy, and not easy when painting outside, I tried acrylics, they are now my preferred medium.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a painting of a Jersey Cow. I love painting animals and have done several pet portraits as commissions ~ dogs and cats. I also love painting landscapes.

How did you decide to become an artist?

I became an artist after attending a "Beginners Painting Weekend" run by Chris Parker, I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for another weekend, then went for several painting days with him. I joined a course at the local college with Andrea Taylor, then I was invited to join Wisbech Art Club. I have been secretary of the Art Club for several years. I love going to demonstrations and workshops, it is very inspiring to see how other artists paint and pick up tips.

What's the best advise you've been given as an artist?

The best advice I have been given is to look at shapes, colours and tones and paint what you see.

What are your life and work goals for the future?

My goal for the future is to spend more time painting. My friend Sally Goodale and I are in the process of setting up our own website which we hope will be up aqnd running very soon. 

Moira Johnson is currently exhibiting her art here at The Orchard with another local artist Sally Anne Goodale, as we last interviewed Moira back in 2016 we thought it would be nice to catch up again. 

Many thanks to Moira Johnson for agreeing to be interviewed for The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop Blog. You can view Moira & Sally's art daily 10am -4pm during March 2016 at:

The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184
Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room