Country Fest … a real taste of the countryside.

Country Fest is a fantastic weekend which has proven to be a great success.  It is held on the 28^th and 29^th May at Crooklands, Milnthorpe; which is only a 30 minute drive from the Hotel.  It’s a show for all ages, show casing the quality and diversity of Cumbria’s independent food and drink producers and suppliers.  There is also a wide range of children’s activities and entertainment and demonstrations to keep the adults enthralled from sheep shearing to cooking.  We had a fantastic day last year, there was something there for all of us, my husband being a chef himself was loving all the food demonstrations and stalls, myself being a bit art and crafty was amazed by what people can produce and my two boys thought the mountain bike display was a treat.

Last year ex Coronation Street star turned cheese maker Sean Wilson wowed the packed audience with his mouth watering demonstrations. This year Claire Lara who won BBC’s Master Chef the professionals will be demonstrating in the food theatre.  In the demonstration arena this year will be K9-2000 dog display team and inch perfect motorcycle display team and many others.

After a busy day enjoying all the demonstrations and taking in all that local produce you can return to the hotel to relax and unwind and try out some of Cumbria’s best produce cooked by our Head Chef, Chris Davies, in our fantastic Burlington’s restaurant.

For more information on county feast go to www.westmorlandshow.co.uk

Cora Hansen

Operations Manager

It’s now a perfect time of year to discover the Lake District’s magnificent landscaped gardens.  There are many to see but we would like to share with you some of our favourites.

Muncaster Castle

Muncaster Castle Gardens and World Owl Centre is one of the best places to visit in the Lake District for a fun family day out! Discover the extensive Gardens, blessed with breathtaking views all year round and famed for their rhododendrons (best during March – June). Relish the 77 acres of 18th Century Gardens with miles of pathways meandering through the woods.

Enjoy the historic ‘haunted’ Castle and the fascinating World Owl Centre. Be amazed by seeing more than 200 owls of over 50 species and don’t miss the Meet the Birds display which takes place daily.

Holker Hall

Step back in time and escape from the hustle and bustle of modern day living. Absorb the atmosphere of the family home of the Cavendish’s.

Feel the world famous Holker lime -one of the great trees of Britain. Hear the wind in the trees, in the magical garden. See the stunning views of fells and rolling parkland – the reason why the hall was a so beloved retreat by the Dukes of Devonshire as a counterpoint to Chatsworth’s grandeur.

Families – fly your kite in the park, roam through the gardens, hide and seek in the bushes…look out for our wonderful fancy foul. Swing, slide and climb in our playground then sample the wonderful, wholesome foods in the café.

Levens Hall

Levens Hall and Gardens is a family home situated on the southern edges of the Lake District.

Stroll amongst the world famous Topiary Gardens which date from1694. Colourful seasonal bedding and fine herbaceous borders make the scene change with the seasons. Families can explore the playground and living willow Labyrinth.

Admire the fine furniture, oak paneling and plasterwork of this Elizabethan manor. See the family stories unfold; you may even encounter one of the resident ghosts.

Blackwell

When entering Blackwell, one of Britain’s finest Arts & Crafts houses, you will be seeing the very details that the Holt family would have seen over 100 years ago. Look out over the gardens and Lake Windermere to the same magnificent Lake District views and experience the tranquil atmosphere the family would have loved.

Designed by M H Baillie Scott, Blackwell was built between 1898 and 1900 as a holiday retreat for Sir Edward Holt, a wealthy Manchester brewery owner. The house survives in a truly remarkable state of preservation retaining almost all of its original decorative features. Sit and soak up the atmosphere in Blackwell’s fireplace inglenooks and enjoy the house as it was originally intended, without roped-off areas.

The gardens were laid out in a series of terraces to achieve the best views of Lake Windermere from the house. Enjoy morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea on the flower-bordered terrace, one of the loveliest outdoor places anywhere in England.

Blackwell is more than a heritage attraction, several of its rooms are used as galleries, and exhibitions exploring different aspects of the Arts & Crafts Movement and of contemporary craft are held all year round.

Rydal Mount

Enjoy visiting an independent family home of one of the world’s famous poets – William Wordsworth.

Rydal Mount and gardens is now the family home of the poets direct descendants and has established itself as a world famous attraction.

Wordsworth was a “man of nature” and his beautiful self-landscaped gardens reflect his poetry and his romantic attitude.

The garden has recently been shown to be still very close to the poet’s original design and is the only property where you can see the largest lake – Windermere, and the smallest lake – Rydal Water.

Experience the house and garden and relax with tea, coffee and homemade cakes in the tearoom or enjoy quiet moments in the magic garden.

(All information courtesy of www.lakedistricthistorichouses.co.uk – please click on this link for further information and opening times)

And don’t forget, after your busy day exploring, the Beech Hill Hotel gardens are a perfect place to relax and unwind and watch the sun go down.

Nicola Barnes

Assistant Manager

It’s time for all you runners, walkers and outdoor adventure seekers out there to be taking advantage of warmer temperatures and sunnier days. It’s now time to say goodbye to the gym and hello to fresh air and adventure! That treadmill at the gym may have got the job done during those cold winter months, but for all you scenery-searching, fun-seeking people, the great outdoors of the Lake District is a welcome change.

From here at The Beech Hill Hotel there are so many places to visit, please click on one of the following links to find a local walk, run or outdoor adventure to suit your requirements.

http://www.golakes.co.uk

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedalehome

http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/walking

So go on, grab some comfortable clothes and shoes and head outdoors. Relax, unwind, get some fresh air and above all have fun.

For those who find this all too strenuous why not just take a gentle stroll around our gardens.  Then after your busy day you can always soak up those last remaining rays of sunshine on the terrace with a glass of bubbly or two!!!!!

Nicola Barnes

Assistant Manager

As a receptionist here at The Beech Hill Hotel and a lover of food and wine, I was lucky enough to experience the first of our Gourmet evenings from a guest perspective with my parents who were staying at the time (not planned honest!!).

The evening started with an enjoyable champagne and canapé reception in the lounge area before we moved through to the restaurant.

Once we are all seated, the wine sommelier  introduced himself and explained about the wines that were to compliment each course.  Following this, we had a 5 course meal with a different glass of wine with each course to enhance the different tastes.  Each wine and course was served with information from the sommelier, so it gave me an idea of what kind of wine to order when I dine in the future, as I am a novice to this!  I tend not to drink red wine, but the two red wines served with the courses were not too heavy, all were easy to drink with beautiful flavours.

The food was mouth watering and the service was exceptional.  Each course was well presented and thought out and I loved every single mouth full!

After the meal myself and the other guests retired to the lounge area.  I had a chance to talk to some of the other residents in the hotel, all of whom stated what a very relaxing and enjoyable evening it had been and many can’t wait to return to the next one on 30 September 2011.

Please follow the link  http://www.beechhillhotel.co.uk/special-offers/special-events/gourmet-and-wine-tasting-nights/ for full details of the next Gourmet night and all other up and coming events.

I would thoroughly recommend it!

Rachael Tigwell

Receptionist

A Mickey Mouse Affair!

I’ve just returned from a two week holiday in Orlando in the US, visiting the Disney and Universal parks with my family … every little boy’s (and big girl’s) dream, riding roller coasters, meeting Mickey and super sizing everything!

For me going away is always a bit of a busman’s holiday, I can’t help but watch how other hotels run and steal their good ideas to bring back to the Beech Hill, so when we decided to go to America I was really looking forward to experiencing American service and hospitality.

We stayed in a beautiful 5 star hotel in Downtown Disney so we were really close to all of the theme parks, just a 5 minute walk for the restaurants, amusements and entertainment in Downtown Disney and had fabulous views across Orlando.

On arrival we were greeted by the Bell staff who welcomed us to the Hotel.  Then on to reception where we were checked in by a very chatty receptionist, who on reflection actually talked about himself for the 10 minutes we were there, but pleasant all the same.  He wished us a pleasant day and we went off to our rooms with the Bell Boy.  Again he was very polite and helpful, dropped our luggage off and wished us a nice day.

So this went on for our full stay, in the Hotel, at the parks and in the restaurants; the staff were lively, attentive, smiley and always sure to say ‘Have a nice day’ as you leave.  But as the holiday came to an end it dawned on me that although everyone hope’s you have a nice day that not one member of staff asked ‘have you enjoyed your day?’ or enquired as to what we had done that day.

I have come to the conclusion that I would much rather have the sincerity of the staff at The Beech Hill, who genuinely care that guests are having a nice stay and making the most of their visit, rather than the hollow showbiz façade of American style of service.

Have a nice day y’all!

Donna Myers

Sales and Reservations Manager

The Real (Mini) Monster of Windermere

So, we all know fairies and pixies are real, along with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny; how do I know this? My Mum told me and she would never lie to her little princess now would she.  But, Bownessie? Even I think this is a little far fetched.  Let’s look at the evidence (or lack there of); a pre-historic creature in Lake Windermere that has never been seen in Millennium but has been spotted twice in the last couple of years.

Where has he been hiding for the last couple of million years?  Is it actually Nessie who decided to relocate after a couple of chilly winters in Scotland? I don’t think so.  And the photo; I ask you, in this the digital age where almost everyone has a digital camera or camera phone, who takes a photo with what I can only guess is a Pin Hole camera from the turn of the last century.  No, no, no, no. no!

When the story broke last week I had a little search on the internet and it appears that there are a few rather interesting myths and ‘mythical’ creatures in the Lake District, all far more interesting than stealing Nessie from the Highlands.  For example the Tizzie-Whizie, quite obviously real, have a look at the photo!

In the early 1900s, a boatman at Bowness used to entertain tourists with stories of his encounters with this strange, shy, water loving creature. He claimed that it had the body of a hedgehog, the tail of a squirrel and a pair of bee-like wings. Although many people thought he was making the whole story up, sightings of Tizzie-Whizies are still reported today.

So if you want to catch a glimpse of Bownessie you need to take up residence at The Beech Hill because the view from here is second to none, and after a few G&T’s (OK a lot of G&T’s) on the terrace I’m sure you’ll spot him.  But whilst you’re all wasting you’re time doing that, me and the rest of the gang will be out hunting for Tizzie-Whizies!

Donna Myers

Sales and Reservations Manager

We all try in our own little ways to save the planet; I have a Bag for Life to save on plastic shopping bags (although I regularly forget to take it with me when I go shopping, oops!), I recycle all my paper, plastic, cans and grass cuttings (although I’m not sure I would be quite so conscientious if the council hadn’t cut our refuse collections) and I try to conserve energy in my house with energy saving bulbs, double glazing, insulation and by trying to remember to turn everything off when I’m not using it.

As a Hotel that invites thousands of extra people to our area every year we have an extra responsibility to be green and protect both the very beautiful area that we are blessed to live in and the planet as a whole.

Of course we use energy saving light bulbs where we can and recycle all of our card, paper and bottles.  We serve only seasonally available local food to reduce food miles, saving CO2 emissions from the delivery wagons and planes that would be required to transport out of season produce from around the world to us, and also in support local agriculture and industries.

However, the most fascinating green activity we’re involved in is the recycling of our cooking oil to be used as bio-fuels.  Eden Valley Oils don’t just supply us with great quality oils for cooking with but they also run an efficient waste cooking oil collection service throughout Northern England, and have done for 20 years.

All of the waste oil collected from us and many other establishments is refined and processed within their own fully licensed waste management site and is then supplied to the environmentally conscious bio-diesel industry, which aims to reduce harmful emissions produced by engines running on conventional diesel.

So, next time you dine with us and have eaten so much that you simply can’t move just remember by eating with us here you are keeping someone on the move somewhere else!

Donna Myers

Sales and Reservations Manager

Today feels a little sad; the Christmas decorations are coming down which means it’s all over again for another year.

Christmas to most people means getting a nice long break from work, enjoying staying at home with the family, eating too much, playing games, watching re-runs of Only Fools and Horses and so on, but for those of us working in Hotels it’s very different, it’s our busiest time of year and so we work longer hours and therefore spend more time at the Hotel than we do at home.

Most people would think that this sounds horrendous but after 15 years I’ve come to love it and really wouldn’t have it any other way.  I get to enjoy Christmas with hundreds of different people, many of whom I see every year at Christmas, an extended Beech Hill Christmas family.  I get to enjoy the best Christmas day lunch (cooked by my favourite Chefs) with my family who come to stay at the Hotel for the three day break.  I have New Years Eve with the friends that I have worked with for the past 7 years; glass of Champagne in hand and watching the fireworks over the Lake, rather than fighting the crowds in the pubs and clubs.

You see I really get the best of all worlds; great food, time with friends and family and free entertainment, without the boredom, the expense, the washing up and best of all no cutting pointless little crosses into the bottom of brussel sprouts!  So to everyone who visited over the festive period, for Christmas parties, Christmas and New Year breaks, and getaways in between, thank you for making my Christmas extra special.

Donna Myers

Sales and Reservations Manager