Fairs, Fetes & Farmers Markets

Coniston Country Fair

During our weekend trip to The Lakes I found out the Sunday just so happened to be Coniston Country Fair, set at Coniston Hall right on the lake side with a glorious backdrop of mountainous scenery it was definitely a fair not to be missed.

Coniston Hall is a really beautiful building and with a little spruce up I could imagine would make a lovely wedding venue, I would of really liked to look inside I bet its full of period features!





 

The fair was quite small but still had a variety of different stalls and activities to take part in, and of course the food!! I didn't manage to get many pictures of the food stalls as I was too busy deciding what I was going to buy, I then wandered past the Cumbrian Pie Company stall and was tempted by their gorgeous open pork pies; I went for the Pork, Wild Mushroom and Stilton one!

 



 

One thing I noticed about this country fair compared to others I've visited is how many stands were dedicated to wildlife and countryside awareness. I particularly enjoyed seeing these guys out...

 



There were quite a few different packs of hounds at the show, and they gathered quite a crowd; it was great to see the support for such a British tradition.

What I thought & bought:

Atmosphere - Family Friendly

Food - Open Pork Pie (The Cumbrian Pie Company)
Drink - Cup of Tea

Favourite Activity - The Hound Show

 

Thanks again for being patient with me, I'm finding it hard to get on the internet at the moment, I hope you enjoyed today's post!!

 

xx

Canvas & The Lakeside

Hello Everyone! I apologise for my absence over the past month, I've been rather busy with moving house, relocating back to my parents in the Peak District. It's taking a lot of getting used to after living in Sheffield for the past 4 years, so it was nice to catch up with the Sheffield gang on a little camping trip for Stacey's birthday in The Lake District over last weekend.

Heading over on the Friday afternoon Neil and I arrived at Hoathwaite National Trust Campsite where we met up with Sidd and Stacey and after a bit of a struggle against the wind finally got our tents pitched and dinner barbecued. That night was a rather windy one, and Neil and I were woken up at 4am by the tent falling on top of us! Saturday morning seemed a bit brighter we woke to another water view, not quite as spectacular as the one we got during our camping trip at the coast, but not bad at all.

After breakfast we decided to take a walk down to the lake and followed it along into the village of Coniston, passing through Coniston Hall which were setting up for a country fair the next day!

Coniston is a very pretty little town, it gave us the chance to pick up a few items we'd forgotten and we also stumbled upon a lovely little vintage and antique fair.

We headed back to our campsite to await the arrival of Ben and Charlotte and after a few drinks and a catch up we decided to take a walk to a nearby pub for some dinner.
Our finally morning started off with my specialty 'Eggy Bread' topped with some blueberries and raspberries, I love sweet breakfasts, pastries, pancakes anything like that really sets me up for the day.

After getting packed up we headed down to the Coniston Hall Country Fair, I'll be dedicating a whole post to that so I won't reveal too much, but what a great back drop for a Fair!

If you've made a trip to the Lakes you can't not go out on the water, so we decided to hire two-man sit on top kayaks and in our couples all rowed off onto the lake. I really enjoyed it, I think Neil and I made a good team once we'd got the hang of it, I'm sure we were both imagining we were professional rowers! (Rowing photos courtesy of Charlotte of Salt Deep)

After our two hours were up we headed back to the cars, my bum was soaked so had to do a quick change before the two and a half hour drive home. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, the trip seemed to go so fast, but we've all agreed we'll go camping again this summer!

xx

Fairs, Fetes & Farmers Markets

Saturday night wasn't the warmest or driest of nights however we didn't let it dampen our spirits as Neil and I headed down to check out the Peddler Night Market. It's the first time we've been and what a little gem of a market it is! Part of Arundel Street is closed off for the event and filled with some of the areas finest food and drink vendors.

'If you're looking for a sign, this is it!'

By far my favourite stall had to be 'The Hop Box' not only because it served a fantastic Porter 'Beavertown Smog Rocket' but due to the fact it's a converted horse trailer! Such a creative idea, and quirky use of space something you'd expect to see on the 'George Clark's Amazing Spaces' show.

The market itself had a very youthful arty feel and the inside seating area housed local print makers works up for sale. Perfect chilled out atmosphere with everyone just there to enjoy great food and drink. Neil and I decided to go for the Nether Edge Pizza Company's Meaty Pizza made to order and cooked in their wood fired oven, which we wolfed down!

After a few drinks the cold got the better of us and we decided to head home. 

What I thought & bought:

Atmosphere - Arty & Youthful

Food - Meaty Pizza (Nether Edge Pizza Company)

Drink - Beavertown Smog Rocket Porter (The Hop Box)

Favourite Stall - The Hop Box

(Please excuse the photo quality on this post it was pretty dark at times and I only had my iPhone to hand.)

xx

Fairs, Fetes & Farmers Markets

Hello everyone! With yesterday spent wandering endless stalls piled with mouth watering food and will power testing goodies it's time for another 'Fairs, Fetes and Farmers Markets'.

My house is situated on a street just off Sharrow Vale Road so I'm in prime location for the Sharrow Vale Market. Each month this quaint road plays host to many local makers and bakers selling artisan goods direct to the public; a great opportunity particularly for businesses who may not necessarily own a shop. Meeting up with Charlotte we shuffled our way through the crowds, our tactic being down the street looking at all the stalls on the left hand side, then back up on the right! We're pros when it comes to markets and are both small luckily so perfect for sneaking though gaps of people!

Hydrangea's are one of my favourite plants and I was really tempted by these!

Don't blame that Lab one bit, that bread looks incredible!

Popped into the Vintage Tableware Company shop, its such a pretty place and it's always nice to see Staffordshire Pottery away from home!

  

The Broadfield were at it again! Another gorgeous stall!

We spent the day drooling over the food stalls and lusting after handmade items, giving in occasionally we both came away with a few sweet things each and I treated myself to some lovely little earrings in the shape of tiny sewing scissors.  

If you've never been to Sharrow Vale Market its one you should really check it out, just make sure you go with an empty bag and an empty stomach!

xx