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Archive for November, 2009

Odins Glowing at Roseberry Topping and it sure is pretty!

November 20th, 2009 by joanna

Odins Glow 25/10/2009

 

odins 1Andrew (my Hubby) and I set off on 25th October to Pinchinthorpe Hall.  We drove there from our home in Stockton, and parking was available in the grounds.
 
We sat down to eat at Pinchinthorpe which had a lovely rustic feel, stone walls and all oldie worldy – it felt lovely and cosy!
 
They have adopted the ‘Country Steak House and Grill’ menu, which offered various steaks, burgers and even some pasta’s. The starters and desesrts offered were extensive and varied.
 
For starters I had Tiger prawns with chilli dip, Andrew had Farmhouse pate with caramalised onion chutney, these were delicious and went down lovely!
 
For main it was mussels and chips for me, and battered calamari and chips for Andrew, with a greek side salad, very filling, with homemade chips!
 
With still room for dessert I had creme brulee and Andrew had sticky toffee pudding, we shared these and they finished the meal off perfectly (with a cheeky esprresso to wash it down!).
 
It is a very different menu from what Pinchinthorpe previously offered, but its really good value, with most of the main meals priced around £6.95, perfect for a family meal out. Customer service was also good.
 
Next we jumped on to the minibus (part of the park and ride service for Odins Glow) which took us into the village of Newton under Roseberry.
 
The event came about because Roseberry Topping is such a dramatic landmark that it was regarded as a sacred hill dedicated to the Nordic god Odin by the Vikings, who settled in the Tees Valley in large numbers during the early medieval period. 
 
The whole village was in darkness when we pulled up, with the only visable lights being those of the light insulations, some of which lit up Roseberry Topping and it looked amazing. When exploring the village you found something round every corner.  There was a giant solar system set up in the middle of the road rotating around, there was a huge (like the size of a bus shelter) fish tank which had graphics of fish floating around.  There was a local drum group who were druming along in sync with one another.  Further down the road it was a drama group of youngsters acting out stories of the vikings on the water.  Near the church yard they had lights and mocked up boats in the lake with a lady dressed in medieval costume singing old ryhme.  The streets and turns were packed with people but had an enchanting awe about it, families were apleanty, excitement was in the air and they all seemed to love it!  It was a beautiful evening and certainly one of a kind.  I am unsure whether they will be repeating this event in coming years or not, but if they do, it is well worth a visit!
 
The best bit, was Roseberry Topping lit up, unfortunately due to the darkness you couldnt see it well with the camera, but it really was breathtaking.
 
Fantastic all round event.

You can take a look at more great days coming up by checking out www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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Bang! Wow! Space Themed Fireworks!

November 20th, 2009 by joanna

Darlington Fireworks 31/10/2009

Andrew, Ramsay and I headed to Darlo, and first stop was the Voodoo Mexican Cafe on Skinnergate, which is above In Arcadia - an alternative clothing shop.  It’s not obvious that there’s a Mexican there but I’d heard about the place by reccomendation.
 
We were wowed from begining to end! The setting was lovely and as its situated on the first floor we were fine to leave the pushchair downstairs. The table was set with a high chair and pumpkins with candles in them decorated the table! It was a lovely setting, nice tables, ample space and you can see the kitchen.  First came the drinks, as well as having a really good selection of wine, the lagers and beers were amazing!  We had the option of about 10 from around the world, even I as a non lager drinker had a bottle sourced from mexico!
 
Being an authentic mexican, there was no childrens menu, but the staff could not have been more accommodating! They made Ramsay some chicken and fresh potato wedges with dips and strawberries for afters!
 
The menu had 5 starters, mains and desserts on offer, all for the grand price of £12.95!  Andrew had nacho’s for starters and I chilli prawns. Delicious!  For mains it was a chicken burrito for me and chicken fajitas for Andrew, absolutley delicious, everything was fresh and sourced locally, even the salsa, sour cream and guacamole was home made, and ample amounts in every pot, along with cheese and peppers etc.  They also came with spicy rice, needless to say, home mad!
 
Andrew tends to choose Mexican dishes from most menus, even when it is a pub or Italian, but now we had the real deal there really was no comparison. We also had deserts, just to finish off nicely! But hey, for the price you couldnt say no!
 
When the bill came in at £36, I could not believe it! 3 beers, 1 diet coke, 3 course meal for Andrew and I and a 2 course for Ramsay!  All in all a divine dining experience, very welcoming, very relaxing, more than accomodating, and above all the food and drink was top class!  Can not reccomend this place enough!  We will definetley be returning!
 
Next to the fireworks, where unfortunatley my camcorder battrey went (i do now have the hang of the thing so my next day out will look like its shot by a professional!). 
 
The park was filled with families, children and couples and there was anticipation and excitement was in the air!
From the very first bang it was a spectacular!  They chose to host their fireworks on Sat 31st October to celebrate 40 years since man landed on the moon.  The fireworks were all in time to music which began with David Bowie’s Ground Control to Major Tom, then on to Prodigy – Sending Out Of Space and more, the overall result was class! One i can not put into words! 

It was really breathwaking, the fireworks were gigantic, it was obvious a lot of work had gone into it and it showed.  I was worried Ramsay would cry, only being 20 months old, but he loved it! He kept pointing saying ‘look look’. The whole park was filled with people, rides, and space themed pieces of art, there was even a giant ‘moon’ floating around in the sky line of the park.  Well Done Darlington, you couldn’t have got this display more spot on! And by far the best display yet!

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Lets get some speed up!! Wahoooo!

November 20th, 2009 by joanna

Chris Birkbeck Rally School 07/11/2009

Flags down and they’re off! Woohoo Rally Car Driving Day! Wow, well we started off on an amazingly sunny morning at the Chris Birkbeck Rally School parked up and left my little standard car for a pep talk on the do’s and don’t inside ‘The Archers Hotel which forms part of the rally school. All eager to get going we went down to the track! I took along my Uncle Steven, who’s a car and rally enthusiast. As we gazed around the track it was breathtaking, right on the top of the Saltburn coatsline, just past Brotton, we knew we were in for a really good day!
 
The cars pulled up, all Ford Focuses and rigged out. The helmets were on, no messing around and I was right in the drivers seat! The aim of this first session was to master right handbreak turns and as I began driving I soon realised this was like driving no normal car, and on no normal road. It was loud and the car was powerful, and we were on a dirt track! The instructor was fab, he talked me through what we were going to do as I steadily drove around it, getting a feel for the car and the environment. 

My first handbreak turn was more of a little side step, but not to worry, I built it up and built it up until wush, i was skidding round the corners and landing forward (where I should be) ready to take off again! bruuuummm!
 
I watched on the trackside hill with the other rally goers whilst my uncle took his turn, well he certainly got the knack quiker than me! The next go I did right AND left handbreak turns, going round right and left bends that is. This was a little tricker for me, I took a few left turns to get the hang. After this go I realised what I wanted to do was go for it, building up some good speed for the corners. So when I got to do the full track, my foot was down, I was only doing this once and I had my safety helmet on! (Oh and the instructor had his own set of peddles!) The whole time you’re in the car you’re miced up to the instructor so you can hear him clearly, and he could hear me!  This last lap was a whole lot bigger, and we got to test out all that we had learnt and more! The adreneline rush was amazing, I think the instructor even felt this with my driving!
 
I then watched my uncle, who put me to shame making my driving look like a learner’s first go! Just when I thought it was all over, they shouted me in again to put my helmet on - what I hadn’t realised was that the instructor was then going to drive me! Well this was face pulled back kind of driving! He took each corner with a cm away from the twists and turns and did the whole lap in 30 seconds, I spent the whole time screaming! I think this was pay back time! it was really funny, and really interesting to see what the real rally drivers do! All of us learners then went back to the hotel where lunch was served up. Since we’d all been together trackside during the day and we’d all got along really well so lunch was a nice social affair.  Then, certificate time, I got mine and I was well chuffed, we’d all achieved a lot that day, complete beginners to actually rally driving very well!

We also got to have a sneak around the workshop where they make up rally cars for different drivers, my uncle being the car enthusiast asked loads of questions and they answered every single one, these are not just instructors, they part time rally drivers themselves and are complete enthsiasts.
 
All round great day out, they even do rally days for the kids. Here we were with 10 other people who had came from as far as Scotland to do this experience, and its right on our doorstep! Marvallous day out had by all!
 
If your interested in having a go, see their website voa www.visitteesvalley.co.uk

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Waiting for Sundays and my was it worth waiting for!

November 20th, 2009 by joanna

Waiting Room Eaglescliffe 08/11/2009

Waiting for Sundays is an evening of entertainment and fine food put on by The Waiting Room restaurant in Eaglescliffe.  It is a vegitarian restaurant, and I have to admit, i’m not vegetarian and never really choose vegetarian food, but I thought why not give it a go.
 
I took along my Mother who’s a food lover, we arrived at 7.30pm and were led to our table in the back room, which is a big warm cosy conservatory.  The tables are set out so that everyone can see the stage whilst eating, it was a really intimate atmosphere from the off.  Once we got ourselves sat down we checked out the drinks menu first which was very out of the ordinary in a really good way. Everything is organic and they had a good selection of wines with an extensive range or largers, ciders and beers, and more unusually a mouth watering range soft drinks! Not your average line up even in a bar!  
 
‘Waiting for Sundays offers a less extensive menu than usual and you can choose from 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts.  I straight away opted for the lemon houmus with warm bread and my mum had mushroom and chashew nut pate for starters.  We were both pleasently surprised with how nice they were, full of flavour and came with a lovely fresh side salad.  For mains it was a spinach, mushroom and feta curry for mum and I had a spinach, red pepper and ricotta lasagne.  These were just delicious and changed my mind in an instant about vegetarian food, it had more flavour than most meat dishes i’ve tasted. The veg in mine consisted of peppers, courgettes and spinach along with many others.  Mum’s curry was delicious (yes, i will confess, I am one of those people who loves to try my fellow diners food) hot and raging with full flavours, again with the delicous fresh salad and also herbed potatoes. 

The band started midway through our meal, it was Keith James and Rick Foot singing the music of John Martyn, one singing accousticly with a guitar and the other a huge cello. The music was bliss, heavenly and a beautiful compliment to the food.  The entertainment on offer for ‘Waiting for Sundays’ changes every week, the week before it had been burlesque dancing, the week after, a silent play. 

We headed onto dessert, Mum had a coconut and raspberry tart, and I a chocolate roulade and an espresso.  What an amazing place, still to be discovered by a lot of people.  One thing I would say is don’t let the fact its a vegetarian restaurant put you off.  I was really surprised at how nice vegetarian food can be, it was delicious and I had to keep reminding myself I was eating vegetarian food! Even if you want to pop in for lunch or a standard evening meal, do go. If your looking for something different for a Sunday, this is definetley it!

 You can check out The Waiting Room’s website and many other great days out by clicking on www.visitteesvalley.co.uk.

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Local fine food, wine and crafts! What a delightful Christmas Fair!

November 20th, 2009 by joanna

Living North’s Christmas Fair at Wynyard Hall 14/11/2009

Christmas is coming and the first place to head to in this holiday period is Wynyard Hall’s Christmas Fair!

This event runs from the Friday until the Sunday on the second weekend in November and is hosted by Living North. 

I pulled into the Wynyard Hall grounds which you can’t fail to be amazed at, and followed the directed path to park my car up. I was with my son, mum, nana, sister, and nephew.  Tickets are £5 each pre ordered online, buy 3 get one free, or £7 on the door.  There is not much luck getting in on the door because it is so popular, it was heaving at 10am when the doors open!

When we first entered the huge marquee it was brilliant! I say marquee, this was industrial size, huge - with red carpet and central heating throughout! There must have been 200 stalls, all different sizes and selling everything you could ever imagine.  There were tonnes of crafts and handmade jewellery stalls, handbags, and various beauty products, hand made cards, toys and wooden delights! 

I was straight for the foodie stuff, it was a foodies heaven!  I bought some delicious pesto, made in no other than Bedale!  Some of the best olive oil I have ever tasted made in italy but sold by a local guy who imports on a small scale! Appleby’s Cakes, Chutneys made in Newcastle, and toffee vodka made in Northumbria!  It was hectic, and I had Ramsay who was tired after walking around it all with me (despite me having the pushchair but boys will be boys!). The upside was that he ate samples from almost all these food stalls, he was in his element!  So we went into the main hall for a coffee and a sit down.  If you have never been inside Wynyard Hall before, you really are missing something, it is wow wow wow!  Like stepping back in time entering into the country’s finest stately home.  It really is magnificent and is especially nice because it still seems so untouched, so uncommercialised.  There was a jazz quartet playing christmas classics, the giant tree, and the festive cheer buzzing around in the air.  We had coffee and lunch, then chatted about all our buys, we had all got split up many times, so it was good to have a nosey.  It also gave us time to think too because we all went back to stalls to purchase items we had debated over buying earlier on in the day.  Each and everyone of us loved it, all bought lovely things, either for ourselves, or as a present for others, and agreed we would definetely be there next year!

Now if you do want to be there next year you will need to buy tickets in October by signing up to the email notifications on Living North website, or keep your eyes out for it on www.visitteesvalley.co.uk where you can find many more fantastic events and days out in the Tees Valley.

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