Norfolk Rocks

Look what I found sitting on the house leeks by the tea room terrace today

a sweet painted rock

and when I turned it over there was a special message from RG

"NORFOLK ROCKS

RE-HIDE 

OR

KEEP"

Do you know what I did? 

Well although very tempted to pop this in my pocket

I re-hid it to put a smile on someone else's face.

I don't know who you are but thank you RG for this sweet gesture.

I wonder how many more Norfolk Rocks are hiding up and down the country?

Have a Hanami Easter at The Orchard Tea Room Wisbech ~ we have blossom

Our plum trees came into blossom very early this year and have been in full blossom since the end of March, 

followed swiftly by the cherries that can easily be viewed from the tea room.

Much of the apple orchard is in bud

with some of the Ida Red trees now in blossom

if this warm spell continues they'll be in full blossom over the Easter weekend.

So it looks like we can have a Hanami Easter 

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

About Hanami:
"Hanami (花見, "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; flowers ("hana") are in this case almost always referring to those of the cherry ("sakura") or, less frequently, plum ("ume") trees." 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami

About Ida Red apples: 
Idared's aren't an English apple, they were developed at the University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station (hence the name Ida) in 1942. We grow them for their exceptional keeping abilities. Harvested in September / October they can actually be kept, in the correct conditions, up to June the following year. 

Easter Flower School Saturday April 20th

Flower School returns for Easter

Join in the fun!

Saturday April 20th

11am - 2pm 

here at 

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

Watch a demonstration by city and guilds qualified florist then have a go yourself, all flowers and sundries provided in the price which also includes scrumptious cake plus tea or coffee. 

(Please bring scissors if possible)

The course is just before Easter Sunday so you'll be leaving with a fabulous floral arrangement for your Easter table. 

Price per person is £18. Either pop into the tea room to book or text Mel on 07717553778 to book, she can accept payment via Paypal.

All profits to The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding.

Mothers Day Floral Workshop with Tea and Cake Saturday 30th March

 We're delighted to be hosting a Sunshine Centre For Therapeutic Riding flora work shop this Saturday 30th March 2019. It's being run by qualified florist Mel Tomlinson who will demonstrate how to make lovely floral arrangements like this:

Then, with Mel's guidance, you get to have a go yourself so at the end of the workshop you have a floral arrangement to take home with you.

Keep it for yourself or give it to Mum for Mothering Sunday or better still how about bringing Mum along to the workshop and you both make an arrangement, a lovely way to spend some quality time with your Mother.  

Price of £18 per person includes tea and cake. You can either pop into the tea room before Saturday and book in person or text Mel on 07717553778 to book, she can accept payment via PayPal.

Everything you need to make an arrangement is included in the price but please bring scissors with you if possible. 

Art at The Orchard ~ Richard Carrier ~ RichBot Art

Our March 2019 Art at The Orchard artist is Richard Carrier, he last exhibited here back in 2016 so it's great to welcome him back to the tea room with some new pieces. 

Richard's art can be viewed throughout the month of March here at

The Orchard Tea Room

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Entry is free of charge and we're open every day 10-4

You can read Richard's artist interview here 

And before we go we want to show you a piece of Richard's work that isn't being exhibited at the tea room, but we think it's fab. It's a chest of drawers that went from this

to this

So that was February ~ Welcome Spring

February a month of contrasts we've had snow and our younger tea room customers had fun building snowmen

and we had a February heatwave which saw customers sitting outside in their shirt sleeves and the scrub plum break into blossom. Bees and butterflies have made a brief reappearance.

In other news we've been writing the Orchard News section of The Jam Guild and Preserve Makers new quarterly digital magazine, "Simply Preserved"

Here are a couple of extracts first up from the winter edition:

"Odd to think that Britain’s most famous cooking apple,

Bramley’s Seedling, should by rights be known as
Brailsford’s Seedling as the first Bramley tree was grown
from seed, sometime between 1809 and 1813, by Mary
Brailsford of Southwell, Nottinghamshire.

It was after Mary’s death that the then owner of her cottage,
Matthew Bramley, allowed nursery man Henry Merryweather
to take grafts from the tree. Merryweather subsequently went
on to win a Royal Horticultural Society First Class Certificate
for Bramley’s Seedling in 1883 and the rest as they say is
history with Bramley apples being grown commercially from
the 1890’s onwards. Many a fruit growers fortune was made
from the Bramley, travel around Fenland villages and you’ll
come across quite a few large old houses bearing the name
“Bramley House”, named for the apple that enabled the
grower to build the house."


and from the February edition: 

"It’s a lovely time of year for a brisk walk around the orchard followed by tea and cake in front of the wood burner. Or, if it’s too cold to venture out a lovely time of year to enjoy cooking, and eating, a traditional Sunday roast dinner, not something we all have time for with our busy lives these days.

Here’s a family wartime recipe for apple mint jam which goes wonderfully with roast lamb though I admin to be rather partial to it on my roast potatoes never mind the meat :

1. Wash your apples and halve them before placing them in a pan of cold water.
2. Simmer until soft, remove from the heat.
3. Rub the pulp through a sieve into a measuring jug.
4. Return to pan with 3/4 lb of sugar for each pint of apple pulp along with a bunch of chopped mint.
5. Cook, stirring until the jam begins to set then jar in the normal manner."

Published on the digital platform issuu.com "Simply Preserved" is free to members of The Guild of Jam and Preserve Makers and is available to non-members for £2.50 per issue.

And now it's March and Spring with the 1st of March marking the first day of meteorological spring and the 20th of March the first day of astronomical spring.

But remember whether it's Springtime or not

"Ne're shed a clout till May be out"  

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

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