Search Results

Todays blog is on some of the finest of all time muffins, first of all it might interest you that I have made them dairy free! They contain: a handful (a big one) of blueberries, 2 medium sized bananas and dark chocolate to top it off! First off, I got all my ingredients out because I’m so prepared! That also meant that I wouldn’t have to run around getting my stuff out the cupboards either! :) I got my mixing bowl and added the eggs and then I whisked them up (if you want you can use a fork), then I added the yogurt (I used some coconut alpro yogurt that is dairy free), mushed bananas, maple syrup (but I used honey because now my mum only goes shopping every Fortnight now), vanilla extract and then i mixed it all up with my electrical whisk (it might not look that nice at this moment of time but when the flour is added it will). I then added the oats, the cinnamon, the baking powder, the baking soda and then i gave it another mix through! When I was happy with the way the mix looked I then got my tray with the bun cases in (if you don’t have any bun cases then you can just chop up some baking paper into equal squares because that’s what i had to do and it worked really well) I poured in the mixture equally into the 12 bun cases and put them in the oven for about 30mins (It might say in the recipe 22-23 mins but they were far from done) but don’t get them out to early as they will sink. After they had, had plenty of time in the oven I took them out and let them cool for a bit, they had around 5 mins in the tray before i took them out and put them on a rack! I had one after tea and they were very tasty! Top tip: if you think your bananas a bit past there best you can peal them and put them in the freezer and get them out for cooking! Ingredients 2 large eggs 1/2 cup (115 g) plain 2% Greek yogurt 2 medium-size, ripe bananas, mashed (200 g or 1 cup) 6 Tbsp (90 ml) maple syrup 2 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup (60 g) quick oats 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/4 cup (150 g) white whole wheat flour* 1 cup (140 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen** 1/2 cup (80 g) dark chocolate chunks or chips Instructions Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC) and prepare a muffin pan by lining the cavities with parchment liners or spraying them with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until the yolks break apart. Whisk in the yogurt, bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Stir in the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing until well combined before gently mixing in the flour. Finally, fold in the blueberries and chocolate chunks, reserving some to sprinkle on top. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling almost to the top. and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chunks and/or blueberries. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins begin to turn golden brown and toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for ~5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

If thinking outside of the box is one of your strong points then surviving this period of time will be tough, but maybe not as tough as it could have been. With so many businesses including my own having to pretty much shut down, things are tight, I’ve been lucky enough to have a few couples ordering my beautiful Fine Art Wedding Albums and a few prints, which has helped massively short term, so thank you if you are one of those people. The long term plan is important too, after all no one really knows what’s going to be happening in a weeks time let alone where we will be in a years time. We can only plan as well as possible for the hurdles we may need to face but remember to remain positive, seek opportunity and hopefully, we’ll try to come out of the other side of this this on our feet. Our local pub down the road from us has done just this, it’s been resourceful, thoughtful and quick to do so. When it was announce just over a month ago that pubs, bar and restaurants would need to shut for the foreseeable future, they could have done just that, but not The Smithy Arms in Swinton. This spot reopened only days later as a “pup-up shop” they were able to initially sell off the produce they’d already bought, stuff that would have otherwise had to go in the bin, along with this they got other essential items in stock too. The shop now has a good array of goods from dry ingredients to fresh. (Some things that you were unable to buy in the supermarket until recently, like flour, beans and tinned tomatoes, The Smithy have had all along.) They sell household cleaning products, a basic assortment of animal essentials and they’ve even started selling takeaways too! I’m yet to try one but have heard from various people that they are really good, their prices start at just £7.50 for Fish & Chips and Scampi, Peas & Chips; they also offer Burgers and Pies. Hmm, I think I’ll go for the Pie, Mash and Peas when we do order. Rachel (the lovely lady behind the bar) also recommends that you call ahead and order your takeaway to avoid disappointment, she advised it wasn’t essential but was the best thing to do so you can arrange a safe pick up. Taking all this in to consideration, the shop has taken the Corona Virus very seriously, with only 3 people being allowed in at once. It’s good to know they are thinking of everyone’s safety. If there is something you are struggling to get hold of it’s always worth an ask or a phone call, to see if it’s something they stock, the shop is receiving daily deliveries based on what patterns they are seeing their customer buy. I really wanted to document a business who has embraced the pandemic safely and well, I did so taking in to consideration all of the social distancing measures, I feel it’s important to capture these things for the future generations. Hopefully they will be inspired by the determination of this small business, it really has become a community hub. Photography by Anoif Photography

Sunday 15th March Natalie and I went on a hack, before we set off we enjoyed a cuppa with Mum, Dad, Lawrence, Gemma and my Aunt and Uncle who had dropped in with their friends as they were staying on a campsite not far away. We chatted about the virus and about how the government had dropped hints towards the over 70s having to self isolate in the near future. We couldn't understand how people would mange. We even talked about how we didn’t think that Covid-19 was that serious- People were still arguing that the death toll of the common flu was just as high if not higher than this new virus. Lewis went to Rugby as normal with Richard, but came back with concussion after a tackle. We later went as planned as a family to Richard’s parent's house for tea where we saw Helen a Rich too. Helen, a nurse, spoke of some changes the hospital was preparing for, but so far there had been no real changes at work. Monday 16th March 2020 A friend of mine informed me she had chosen to remove her children from school to keep them safe, the government talked above school closure becoming more of a possibility, but still advised that they were safe and it was best to keep them open for childcare purposes- grandparents were more at risk. A message from Natalie’s football coaches came through to advise us that training and matches would be cancelled for the foreseeable future along with other grass root sports. Wednesday the 18th March 2020 An email from Ryedale school arrived in my inbox, announcing they would be shutting due to the Corona Virus. Work would be sent home for the students to complete via email and they would be setting up a system to create a more streamlined workflow. Thursday 19th March 2020 Lewis and I worked together to try to figure out how he was to access the work from school. The previous days at school had being teaching the students how to access everything; however, due to Lewis’ concussion he has not been in school to hear of this. Later that day, an email came through from Malton School to advise us that the school would be shutting on the Friday, they would be spending the last day of school showing and ‘training’ the children how to access their lessons from now on-their new school day. The government announced that all schools would be forced to close as of Friday to everybody apart from the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children. Friday 20th March 2020 I walked dog with my Aunt and Uncle, whilst social distancing this was extremely strange and spent the whole day, waiting, waiting and waiting keeping everything crossed for my couple Tori and Tom, who were due to get wed the following day. All was looking good- even though they'd lost a best man a bridesmaid and about a 3rd of the wedding party they still remained in high spirits whilst talking to myself. Then about 4.30pm I heard from my brother, all pubs, cafes, restaurants etc. were to shut for as long as we need them to, from close that night, no warning, just like that! The government begged people NOT to go out for their final drink, but many did. Inevitably, at around 5.45pm I received the phone call from the Bride, one I’d never had before...They’d received a call from the venue to say their wedding couldn’t go ahead, just hours before the event! I can’t imagine quite how they must have felt to hear this devastating news, with everything in place and ready to go. How many other couples had experienced this too? It was an unbelievable decision, but one we can all understand 4 weeks on, what would our death toll have looked like had this weekend carried on as normal across the entire country. Saturday 21st March 2020 No wedding. Boris warns the nation to stay at home on Mother’s Day and keep Mum safe, this was the day that the seriousness really hit home for me. This would be the first time in my life that we’ve never celebrated Mother’s Day with my Mum. The 23rd March 2020 (Monday) will be a memorable date to us all, a day that will be talked about in history to come for sure. The 23rd March was my friend Justine’s birthday, it was the first time I’ve knocked on her door and stepped back leaving my gift on the doorstep, it was the first time I’d seen a friend where we both stood at more than arms length away from one another, as if we had the plague. It was that night, whilst eating tea with the family and watching "Boris’ daily announcement" that I think the whole of the UK really realised just how bad C-19 was. There was an uneasy feeling in the air that night. “The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer. And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help. And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have. Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses. And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger. To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease. Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope - and save more lives. And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic. And though huge numbers are complying - and I thank you all - the time has now come for us all to do more. From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home. Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households. That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes: · shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible · one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household; · any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and · travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home. That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home. You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No. You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine - and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can. If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings. To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately: · close all shops selling non-essential goods,​ including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship; · we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with; · and we’ll stop all social events​, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals. Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed. No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this. I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs. And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business. And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to. But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost. And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through. Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service. With the time you buy - by simply staying at home - we are increasing our stocks of equipment. We are accelerating our search for treatments. We are pioneering work on a vaccine. And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer. I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus. Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline. But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted. Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together. To halt the spread of this disease. To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives. And I know that as they have in the past so many times. The people of this country will rise to that challenge. And we will come through it stronger than ever. We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together. And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives. Thank you.” And there we had it, I’m not sure any of us really expected this, the country our world our lives came to a stand still. The NHS staffing became our frontline soldiers battling against this invisible killer, they have been recognised now as our heroes battling non-stop, in vain to help us beat this thing! Here we are 4 weeks, a month later, living our solitary lives understanding fully why these dramatic actions were taken. A lot of us between 4 walls, some lucky enough to have the perimeter of our gardens to enjoy. The weather as been kind, the sun has been out daily and the temperature has been on average 2.5 degrees warmer on our hottest days for this time of year. Some might say this has made things easier, but for those who cannot leave their houses I image it may have made things more difficult. This disease has brought with it sadness, harrow and fear but along with this it has brought community, compassion and togetherness. People have come together to help one another, we might not be able to work, but we can help those near us that are vulnerable and this is what has been happening. Overnight online communities sprung up to help make sure that no one was overlooked. Some people have gone above and beyond, sacrificing their time with direct family members in a bid to keep them safe, whilst doing their jobs. Some careers have selflessly, decided to temporarily move in to the care homes where they work, lowering the risk of further breakouts. We may no longer be physically within the same room as one another, but we can at least with the help of technology see our loved ones and have conversations with them. We are able to access each other’s lives in ways we have never done before. I myself would never have dreamt of video calling my parents or friends, yet I’m pleased to say we have done this and the result has been rather side-splitting, up until now I have never seen my Mother’s ear and nostrils in quite so much detail! Jokes a side, this pandemic may have taken away our freedom, but it has given us the gift of time. This is a chance to stand still for some of us, the chance to just be. Here is an opportunity to look about us and whilst our normal daily lives lay dormant the world is at it’s most beautiful, it’s coming alive: blossom on the trees; daffodils dancing in the breeze, tulips and other spring flowers are popping up to make us smile… Now we wait, we pray, we hope, for the light at the end of the tunnel to reveal itself sometime soon, we teach our children from our homes we continue to try to work, to keep things ticking over and just hope to goodness that at the end of all this we still have a job to go back to. I am very much enjoying spending time with Lewis and Natalie throughout this time, but every now and then I wonder and worry about the future as much as I try not to. We've been filling our days though to try and occupy these thoughts and here's is what we've been doing... We've done a lot walking, near our house of course and it's been rather novel to be able to collect essential shopping from The Smithy Arms mid way round our walks. Walking the same paths has caused us to be creative, chatting between on another, playing with the dog, jumping ditches and the kids have even been walking in the dripping their toes in the water when we've crossed little becks with water in. We've enjoyed cooking new food and eating it too... Doing Easter themed hunts in the house and around the garden.. We've done yet more walking to leave gifts on doorsteps... Lewis has been rebuilding his bike.... Nat's been perfecting her front flipping and back flipping along with practising her football skills, setting up a plant stall and doing makeup tutorials... Steve's been playing with is new chicken, standing looking out of the patio doors and then looking back in through them when he's let outside. He's found all of this rather wearing. Richard's been busy building a wall around the edge of the garden, something that's been needing to be done for soo long now and it looks awesome! I've been working on my business stationary, drinking too much coffee, enjoying gardening, taking lots of photos and keeping the house stuff going. We've also played a spot of tennis . Together we will get through this!

Due to the Covid-19 shelves in the supermarkets (Asda, Morrisons) are completely bare, people have been panic buying as if the world is going to end. Anyway, this is supposed to be a food blog not the news, but because of the "shelf situation" there was no pasta! So I had to think outside the box as I really wanted to eat some very tasty (for sure) ravioli, so I thought for a while and decided it cannot be that tricky to make, can it? So I looked It up and there it was, a two ingredient pasta recipe! It really wasn’t hard to make it at all, as thankfully, we had a load of eggs and some flour left in the house, there was no washing up to do either as you did it on the worktop (not as messy as you think) I got the right amount of flour poured it on to a clean surface made a well in the middle and then I tipped some fresh eggs in the middle as you can see. Then I had to cover the eggs with flour and then knead the mixture for around 5 minutes: After I had spent about five minuets kneading, it still hadn’t all come together so I added a bit of water: When I was finally happy with the dough (it needed to be smooth) I placed it in the fridge: After the dough had rested in the fridge for at the least of half an hour I rolled it out to as thin as I could I then started cutting out two equal strips! Rolling the dough needed lots of strength as it kept on pinging back in. I then picked one of the strips up and moved it in front of me so I could start adding my ravioli filling, there was no recipe for the filling, as I made it up my self. Due to an Italian holiday I had last year, I was inspired by a dish we were served at Natalie and Nick's wedding, where I was a flower girl, so I used: ricotta, a tiny bit of spinach chopped up chives and a few other herbs, but because I chef never gives away their secrets I can't tell you what herbs they were, (The truth Is I have forgotten, but that stays between you and me!) so you can add whatever you want or leave it at that! When I made the filling I dotted a dessert spoon of it onto the pasta and then got the other sheet of the pasta so I could place it on the top! I had to carefully pat around the filling pockets, so when I came to putting the ravioli into the pan of boiling water for 4 minutes the filling would not spill out. (I nearly forgot to tell you, to cut in between each filling pocket to to form a square so they are not a long strip!) Finally, I had put the ravioli squares in the pan to boil, I served them up with a butter and seed sauce on the side to make them extra yummy and indulgent because it was Easter weekend. Pasta Recipe What you'll need. 3 cups (15oz/426g) all-purpose flour 4 large eggs* (or 5 small eggs) Instructions 1. On a large flat clean surface place the flour in a mound. 2. Crack all 4 large eggs into the center of the mound of flour creating a well to hold the eggs. 3. Using a light hand, break the yolks of the egg and gently bring the flour into the center of the well using your fingertips. 4. Keep incorporating the flour into the eggs until all the flour has been absorbed. This will be a messy process, but it is well worth it! Once the dough starts to form, bring it together with your palms and knead into a smooth yellow dough. This will take roughly 5 minutes. Note: if your dough is on the dry side you can add a little SLASH of water to bring it together. 5. When the dough forms a ball, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the dough the rest and the gluten to develop. No longer than 18 hours. 6. After resting, remove the dough from the fridge and cut into 4 equal pieces. Set aside and cover with a towel to stop it from drying out. 7. Flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll 1 ball of dough at a time into a large thin sheet. I don't give dimensions for this part as it varies but my one note would be to get it as thin humanly possible. Like paper thin. Once the dough has been rolled out, fold it over itself several times. Cut the roll of pasta into strips roughly 1/4 inch thick depending on what pasta you are making. Then dust some flour over the sliced strips of dough and unravel them to reveal your fresh pasta! Repeat this process with the remaining dough. Set cut pasta aside on a tray and leave out at room temperature to cook off or cover and place in the fridge to be cooked later. To Cook Fresh Pasta Place a medium pot over medium-high heat and boil 8 cups of water. Once the water is boiling salt it and place the fresh pasta in the water. Add the pasta and allow to cook for roughly 2 minutes or until tender. When the pasta floats to the top of the pot it is ready. Strain the water off the pasta and serve as desired. How to Store Fresh Pasta To store fresh pasta keep it covered on a tray in the fridge for up to 3 days. It also freezes really well for up to 4 weeks. Now for the filling Ricotta (a few tbsp depending on how much you're making) Handful of spinach 1-2 Cloves Garlic Chives (other herbs you might like to add) Put it all in a bowl and mix it up!

From meeting Charlotte and David, I knew they were an organised pair that said, they are literally the only wedding party who’ve given the ushers and maid of honour ‘ear pieces’ to communicate with one another. I can highly recommend it though! They had every base covered and the day finely tuned, even their group photos were done in half the time, leaving us extra time for the photos of Charlotte and David. I suppose with Charlotte’s sister working in event organising there’s no the wonder she was a true asset her sister’s wedding. Mr and Mrs Ashe chose to get married in Birdsall at the church, which is set within the grounds of Birdsall House where they held the celebrations. They were open minded when they began to look at venues, they didn’t have an ‘ideal’ venue in mind but they did know that they wanted to get wed near where they were both brought up and with Charlotte’s family living within a mile of the estate it was somewhere they knew they should look. From the moment they made contact with Cara Willoughby (owner of the family home) they were sold, she was warm, welcoming and happy to show them around herself. Charlotte and David loved the character the period property had to offer and to seal the deal they fell in love with the unique backdrop the grounds had to offer…A lake, a folly and the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds, what a space! When it came to styling and decorating the venue, the couple both agreed they wanted to keep this to a minimum, with the property already having such charm they didn’t want anything over-the-top, so most of the décor was placed in the marquee at the back of the house where the night do took place. Even here they kept things simple with paper lanterns hanging from the marquee’s ceiling a few photos and bits and bobs placed on the tables too. The dance floor was garnished with the odd giant glitter ball, which brought tasteful, glitz to the evening do. The most important things to Charlotte and David really were that they had a great venue, delicious food and drink along with a good photographer to capture it all. (This said I’m pleased to say they were delighted with their photos!) Something that every bride spends hours deliberating over is the dress and how to choose it… Charlotte’s story I have to say my be one of my favourites of last year… “With my dress, again we wanted to purchase everything local to Yorkshire. I was very lucky and visited one bridal shop in the centre of York and found my dress. We knew it was the one, as a stranger outside the shop window stopped in her tracks and started crying, as she thought the dress looked beautiful. We bought it there and then.” Shared Charlotte. What a wonderful story. When it came to the shoes Charlotte didn’t spend too much time worrying about this, her dress was so long and like she said, “I could have been wearing converse under there and no one would have ever known.” So she chose to keep the cost down here, only spending £20 on a pair of mid-heeled white sandals. #Money_saving_tip_here_ladies. Pastel glitter in blush pink, is what the bridesmaids wore and they looked incredible, the style of the dress was perfect for the time of year with ¾ length sleeves and a full A-line skirt it was elegant but comfortable to wear and I kept them a little warmer too. These, Charlotte had bought on a whim on Black Friday the year before her wedding, they had a huge 50% off and came from the high street shop, Dorothy Perkins another great money saving tip: It’s always worth checking out high street shops for the bridesmaids, you can literally save £100s. Here’s some words from the couple, I always like to find out about their favourite parts of the day and best memories. Charlotte goes first… “For me, it was just the whole day that was memorable. When you see it all come together, it's amazing. Also, when you see all your friends and family there in one place (and some of them have travelled very far from Canada and Hong Kong), it was just wonderful.“ David's fondest memory… “After the meal, it was lovely to just spend time wandering the grounds as a married couple, whilst we had our photographs taken.” I was so chuffed to hear that David’s memories included the part of the day when we took photos. Advice from the couple, to others planning their day… “We recommend to start planning as soon as possible. We tried to stick to a budget and the best way for us to pay for things was little amounts each month, rather than one large sum. We used a spreadsheet to keep track of everything and spread the jobs between us. Also, use your contacts! A lot of our friends and family chipped in with their own skills to help with the process.”  I’m always happy to discuss instalment, based payments with anyone who’d like to book their photography with me; it generates a monthly income for myself and helps you to spread payments making them more manageable. Credits to: Flowers: W P Horsley Florist, Malton Hair: Bridal Hair By Lauren (York) Make-up: Chloe Barr Dress: Bridal Rogue Gallery, York Bridesmaid dresses: Dorothy Perkins Food and drink: Homegrown Hospitality Venue: Birdsall House Music/Band: Monotones Entertainment Ltd Marquee: Florida Marquees Yorkshire Ltd Cheese Tower: Love Cheese, York Photography: Anoif Photography

For Mick and Di it all began on Christmas Day 2018, when Mick took his lovely lady totally by surprise and asked her to be his wife, they laughed fondly of this memory when they told me at our first meeting and then said, “I can’t repeat what Di said really!!” This is such a precious part of the job, getting to find out about how it all began, it’s not always just about the day, but how the couple got there too. So the question was asked and Di I can only assume accepted eagerly, so what was to point in waiting? They got straight on to it and planned their wedding in just 7 months starting with the venue, they told me that The Best Western Pavilion was about the third place they enquired at and it was unexpectedly just around the corner from where they live, so this sealed the deal, they decided it must be fate. When they arrived at the venue, Craig, the wedding coordinator there was welcoming and really helpful too which made the couple sure that they had made the right choice! In July last year, they were married in the hotel with their loved ones watching over them, Mick with his son at his side as his Bestman and Di with her Uncle on her arm and Grandchildren at foot (or the ones that could walk anyway) as flower girl and pageboys. They were lucky with the weather, which meant they got to enjoy drinks and canapés in the garden whilst meeting and greeting everyone as the live music from the violinist drifted through the grounds. Di and Mick chose a rich-red as the colour scheme for their day, a timeless colour that worked even in the height of summer and it was chosen purely because Di found the most beautiful, little, red, kitten-healed shoes…Here they are! These was the inspiration behind the flowers, the ties, waistcoats and the room being decorated with red details such are the chair cover-wraps, the favours and the odd red rose in the country, styled floral arrangements on the tables. Don’t you just love it, girls and their shoes! The bonus was that the Pavilion Hotel’s dinning room already has lots of reds involved in the décor, so Di and Mick’s additions just added to it perfectly. The pair had recently started Rock and Roll dance classes together, I’m not sure if this was to get ready for the wedding and their first dance or just for fun, but it has certainly turned in to a bit of a shared passion for them both. They were proud of this and wanted their cake to represent it, Chelle Holmes from Holme Made Cakes did the most amazing job of creating and decorating their vision for them. I have honestly never seen a wedding cake like it, it even lit up! Di and Mick's fondest moments from the day... “The whole day was memorable, but if we had to pick anything we would choose our little dance back down the aisle straight after the service and obviously our first dance in the evening.” Their advice to other couples… Their words, not mine and I was touched to read them…” Remember to take it all in and get a good photographer like we did, because you were truly amazing.” "Ahh, thanks so much Di and Mick, this made my day!" Credits to: Photography: Anoif Photography Venue: The Best Western Pavilion Hotel Hair & MUA: Nikki Winterburn The Dress: Wed2be in Kirkstall Flowers: Amanda Jopling Flowergirl: Self-sourced Page Boys: M&S Suites: Moss Bros Cake: Holme Made Cakes

Ladette to lady, or should I say (now Malton’s) Gilly's, has been a lady ever since her arrival in the area back in 2013. It was back then when she was invited to our market town to help put it on the map as Yorkshire’s Food Capital along with David Macdonald and Tom Naylor Leyland. Tom had the brilliant idea of a cookery school in Malton, and David (then, manager of The Talbot Hotel) having heard Gilly was looking at a new cookery school further down south due to her missing teaching so much, knew she’d be the ideal candidate to help get it up and running. A phone call later and an informal meeting over lunch and that was it, Gilly was onboard, so in May 2014 with help of these two fellows, they opened a pop up cookery school during Malton’s food lovers’ festival. With the 15 day pop up cookery school, on Saville Street, being a raging success and so many people being eager to visit, it was decided that in September 2014 the cookery school would open 4 days a week. From there the school has gone from strength to strength, since then the school has relocated to it’s newly refurbished premises to be nearer Talbot Court, just off Market Street and there have been new additions to the staffing too with Debbie Raw joining the team. This doesn’t surprise me really, Gilly is passionate about creating honest, fresh and quality food from scratch and being the founder of her own private chef company, THE COOK she has a lot of experience to go with this. Gilly has cooked for both famous and infamous people in her years but says one of her best experiences was when she was given the chance by Rosemary Shrager (TV chef from Ladette’s to Lady) to teach in Masham, at her cookery school. These two worked in harmony together for over 10 years, so I think we can all see why Gilly was the number one candidate to run the cookery school in Malton. Sadly, since last Friday due to government regulation Gilly and Debbie have had to close their doors to the public and Gilly’s catering for private dinner parties has had to go on hold for the foreseeable future; nevertheless, Gilly and Debbie are not using this as a a negative though, she believes good can come of this terrible situation. Gilly speaks fondly of the local community, saying, “Malton will still be Yorkshire’s food capital but with a gold star from the community for the wonderful way it has pulled together. It’s what we do, the estate/Visit Malton and our loyal customers all work well in all situations and these next few weeks will prove this to all.” The time out of the kitchen professionally is giving both Gilly and Debbie the chance to experiment, reflect and plan. Together, (at different dwellings of course) these two are cooking up a storm, so watch this place when we are all free again! Check out what the pair have to offer here. Photography by Fiona Bielby @ Anoif Photography

Like no other wedding venue they’d been to before, that’s the reason Claire and Danny chose to party at Deepdale Farm, Keldholme, near Kirbymoorside. Choosing the venue Claire and Danny saw a big, blank canvas, they loved it and they smashed it when putting their own stamp on it! Decorating the industrial rustic shell could be challenging for some, but for these two it was no bother at all with: white fabric drapes, fairy lights and paper lanterns hung from the ceiling; round tables decorated in pastel pinks seating the guests; candles arbours thoughtfully, garnished in muted greens and pastel flowers, standing proudly in the centre or each table; this they nicely finished off with a bottle of homemade Sloe gin and the all time ‘classy’ shot glasses just for fun during the speeches! Placing a giant illuminated, white heart and letters spelling ‘LOVE’ at the back of the barn made a great focal point, plus it helped light the dance floor too. Standing next to all the action, their wonderful cake, pride of place for everyone to see. The Ceremony Although you can now say your ‘I dos’ at their chosen venue when Danny and Claire booked you couldn’t, so they chose an idyllic, little church perched on top of a hill, in Gillamoor to commit to one another. The church was tastefully adorned with to same colour pallet as the venue by Queens Flowers Florists, with two country arrangements set in milk churns welcoming all the guests in to the building. They had a traditional service lead by the local vicar, who had taken the time to find out a little about the couple; however, Danny’s groomsmen had really gone to town and taken some time to write ‘HELP’ on the soles of his shoes so when he knelt down at the alter the entire church came alive with laughter. A good job that both the vicar and the couple have a wonderful sense of humour. The Dress or should I say dresses! Well if you’re only going to do this once, then why not have two dresses? Claire just couldn’t decide when it came to the her dress; although, she absolutely was in love with the semi-backless, full-skirted Justin Alexander dress that she wore down the aisle, she was a little worried that she’d be restricted when it came to dancing and moving around the venue whilst chatting to her many guests later on. She didn’t want any part of her day to be compromised, so she wore it until they sat down for the wedding breakfast and then swapped to the other dress for the food and evening guests, due to it being less full and not quite so heavy. Both dresses had similarities with the diamanté, encrusted waistbands and high necklines leading the Bride to look stunning in both her gowns. The Bridesmaids Let it be said that your friends have similar personalities to yourself and this being said, it was no surprise that each and everyone one of Claire’s seven grownup bridesmaids all had different dress senses! After deciding it would be totally impossible to please every one of them or have them all comfortable in their own skin, (this was very import) Claire gave them a colour scheme and told them all to go and choose whatever they liked. This, the Bride told me took away ALL the stress and saved hours of complications. Not only were the girls 100% happy, so was Claire. Plus the girls’ own styling worked perfectly, with each dress complimenting the other, not only this, but Claire's friends' styles and personalities came shinning through. The Groom and his fellas To match the pastel pink theme Danny and his groomsmen wore pink cravats with matching pocket squares along with a delicate pink and muted green button hole, also created by the Queens Flowers Florists. The simple and subtle theme complimented the navy suites perfectly. Although they were happy to tie in as much as possible with the girls, Danny wanted to put his own stamp on things too, so being brought up in the countryside at Ampleforth he decided to represent this by teaming himself and his groomsmen in bright and bold Shuttle Socks, designed by his mother’s friend. The bold coloured socks Danny chose, were designed with pheasants illustrations on them, they looked amazingly funky with the stylish tan and navy brogues they wore them with. Advice from the couple… Always try and make sure you spend a little ‘alone time’ together even if it’s only 15 minutes, just to digest what you’ve done!! Claires favourite memory was dancing the night away with Danny and her friends. For more tips on DIY weddings and ways to keep them eco friendly, check out this awesome blog I found the John put together! Credits to some of the suppliers: Accommodation for getting ready: Studford Luxury Lodges Hair: Cutting Shed, Beadlam grange. Make up: Vikki Adams Dress: Wedding room, Scarborough Shoes: Monsoon Flowers: Queens Flowers, Beadlam Grange Suites: Harrogate suit hire Socks: Shuttle Socks Photography: Anoif Photography Venue: Deepdale Farm Wedding, Keldholme, York Cake: TBC

Northern African, Merguz Sausages, South African, Boerwors Sausages, and Yorkshire, Wild Garlic Sausages are just a few of the reasons why you should get yourself in to Paul’s charming, little butchers shop to check out his varied produce. A father and son ran business; Food 2 Remember, is based in Talbot Yard Food Court, opposite The Talbot Hotel, Malton. Paul and Kieran have been located here for 5 years now after being attracted to the up and coming food court, by it’s rustic charm. If you call in to their shop, I can guarantee you’ll be greeted with a smile and plenty of enthusiasm. The duo is passionate about purchasing local produce and are proud to share their expertise and homemade stock: What they can source locally they will and if they can make it they do. This pair don’t just stop at meat, they’re well aware of the nations dietary needs and desires, stocking a full range of gluten free products like: Scotch Eggs, Fishcakes and Chicken Kiev’s along with a Portobello Mushroom, Sweet Potato and Stout Vegan Tart too. I was pretty impressed to hear how they had covered all bases. Not only do these two offer a wide and varied range of produce they support other local businesses too by sourcing the ingredients to make them from other nearby. They’ve also set up a free local delivery service to anywhere in the UK throughout this pandemic we’re all going through, to help keep people in supply of good, quality food. Paul tells me that so far through these uneasy times the shop has been busier than ever, whilst some of the supermarkets shelves remain bare, Paul and Kieran are keeping their ‘shelves’ stocked well. If there ever could be a silver lining to this very bleak cloud, it could be that people like Paul and Kieran, who are helping to enrich the local economy by supplying their neighbours’ products to us with items such as, local honey and chutney to the Yorkshire cheese. In a current climate where people think nothing of only shopping in only the supermarket, Kieran feels that people are having to become more aware of the smaller amenities around them, having to source essentials in from local businesses: butchers, green grocers and bakery’s. Let us just hope that when we reach the other side of this stormy period in history, that we all remember about local shops that kept us a float during such difficult times. If you'd like to be involved in my project Malton, please get in touch!

Inspired by their roots; Richard and Katie were both brought up in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and they felt it important that their wedding would represent this. They were also lucky enough to have the chance to use Katie’s Aunt’s fabulous English garden as the location of their venue; this gave them a good start with the styling of their day. They hired a clear-sided, peeked marquee to hold the celebrations and they tastefully decorated it with pastel pinks, wooded textures, glass jars and rustic flowers and to give a country cottage feel to their shell-this they executed perfectly. With any DIY wedding you need to be prepared to be busy right up to the day of your wedding so it’s super important to be organised. Katie and Richard had a lot to do the week before their wedding; it’s a good job they enjoyed to process. I asked them for any advice they would offer other couples now that they’ve successfully accomplished their dream wedding. Katie suggested that you make sure the décor ideas represent both of you so participation can be carried out together and alongside each other. She also advised allowing yourselves plenty of time to plan and prep along with putting it all together. They found writing down their ideas and categorising them under suitable subheadings kept things simple and helped them stay on track and motivated. E.g. Church, table décor, outside seating, followed by bullet-point ideas. They advised that seeing all their ideas in a list helped them to choose the best things that worked well together. They also said that the best thing about their DIY wedding was when people made comments such as, this is so you and just the general compliments people gave them on their achievement. For the country cottage styled day came some of the influence of the colour scheme, they knew they both liked the trend of pairing dusty pinks and navy. At first Katie had wanted her bridesmaids to wear navy too, but reflecting on the time of year they were getting wed, she later decided that dusty pink dresses would be more seasonally appropriate. Plus pairing this with the navy suited groomsmen kept the bridal party light and airy. After so much thought and planning going in to their day I was touched massively to hear about their favourite memories of the day… Katie: “Walking down the aisle was my favourite memory. I was so nervous about crying (and I’m not a pretty crier!!) but as soon as I saw Rich stood at the alter a huge, goofy smile spread across my face. Happiness took over! It was also so special seeing both Rich and my close family and friends all together, supporting us. Rich: Once the evening reception was well underway, Katie and I grabbed a bottle of wine and some pizza (evening food) and sat on the top table, just the two of us. We had chance to take everything in. It was amazing to see all of our guests enjoying themselves and we loved taking 10 minutes to ourselves to soak it all in and appreciate being, in the moment. They would both encourage any of you to take this time at your wedding; the day goes by so quickly, it’s a massive blur of emotions one minute your getting ready the next, your Mr and Mrs and waving goodbye to your guests. For more tips on DIY weddings and ways to keep them eco friendly, check out this awesome blog I found the John put together! Credits to: Photography: Anoif Photography Flowers: The Mouse House, Pocklington Dress: Wed2B Bridesmaids Dresses: NFNC London Suites: Next Table flowers: The Range, York Marquee: Florida Marquees Wedding breakfast: Happy Hogs Catering Evening Food: Bert's Pizzeria

On a happy little cloud, not so far away, Michaela is beavering away in a world full of hot air balloons and mythical creatures. Really, it’s true! Michaela is a creative, in fact I’d like to go so far as to call her an artist, her creations are pure, crisp and beautiful; I can honestly say, I’ve never seen a nursery mobile so beautiful. Flowers, lace and crystal gems are some of the materials Michaela uses to create her stunning bespoke mobiles, she officially launched her company in 2018, “Happy Little Cloud Shop” after friends and family had seen what she’d created for her own children. Michaela is passionate and at her most happy when sitting hand-sewing, sticking and creating these beautiful products, telling me, “I could easily sit for 12 hours sewing and making these mobiles, it’s my little bubble.” As a devote vegan, Michaela ensures that all of her materials are too, using vegan felt to form her clouds and creatures. Her attention to detail is second-to-non, you can rest assured with one of Michaela’s creations they’ll be no ragged ends and loose threads. Michaela’s orders are bespoke with her customers sometimes even requesting their own colours and characters for the mobiles. Her most popular design she tells me is the hot air balloons, which a often personalised with the addition of baby’s name. Whilst I visited Michaela to capture her in action and hear about her business, she was busy creating as usual. Hung from the ceiling was a flower wreath that she’d already made; she was adding the finishing touches for a client. The design had been customised with the addition of a hanging unicorn, something that she was all too happy to add on request. If you are after the perfect finishing touch for your baby’s nursery or a beautiful gift for someone special, I would highly recommend Michaela at the Happy Little Cloud Shop, check out her other creations on her website: https://happy-little-cloud.com or see her social media pages @happy.little.cloud or HappyLittleCloud1 To find out more about my latest project please read my introductory blog post. If you'd like to be part of it please get in touch and tell me a little about yourself or comment below...

Project Malton, I don't have an official title for you yet, but eventually I will... This project has been 100% inspired by one special and inspiring lady that has sadly departed from our world at the end of 2019, my Nanna. Nanna worked hard, once the owner of a ‘corner’ shop, she used to run it whilst caring for Mum and my Aunt, this she did with pride. I believe from, what she told me, they received a payout for the shop when they were notified that the street and the shop were being demolished. A common thing around the pit-mines up north at the time. She then used her head and the other skills she already had, setting up as a seamstress. She even made a gown for a lady attending the royal garden party, one of her proudest moments. Later in life Nanna went to care for children with learning difficulties, whilst helping my Aunt look after her daughters, my beautiful cousins, Claire and Anna. Despite being a busy lady she always found time for God, being a devoted Christian lady. A very resourceful woman, who loved to share her passion and belief in God with everyone near and dear to her, she often preached at her local church too. She was so full of energy and always made time for us when we visited, she’d fill our tummies with fig rolls and heads with tales of Jesus and her devotion to the church. These are such fond memories. After her passing, at the funeral, a photo I’d never seen before was being passed around everyone there. It was Nanna, before children (as far as I can tell) at the shop; she stood proudly behind the counter-a black and white iconic image of that era. It got me thinking, will we have the iconic image of our era in 60 years time? I’m really not sure, maybe we will maybe we won’t, but there’s no harm in trying is there? So here, because of this I’m launching this project, I’m hoping to contact 52 small business’ in and around Malton, I’d like to document them in a particular way, that will, fingers crossed, show many similarities. I’m going to take a series of images and post 6 each week with a little about the business and the owner/s. I’ve done a couple already and a have a few in the pipe-line too. Malton is gem of a location for local produce, crafts and small business’ so I’m hoping I’ll be successful in capturing the 52! Week 1: I ventured out to The Gallery ran by Christine Hughes... Is in Malton market place, Christine used to be based up the Shambles, AKA as The Paperspoon, but she had a dream. A dream to run a gallery, hosting exhibitions and bringing other artists together to form a creative community. Already, not even a year after the opening of her new gallery, she’s doing just that. Christine regularly organises creative workshops from jewellery making and silversmithing to Lino-printing and lampshade making. She has many more ideas up her sleeve for this year, if you’re interested either pop in and see her or visit her website www.paperspoon.co.uk to find out more. Christine is always busy creating something, her latest accomplishment, a series of fabrics which are all available to view in the gallery. She uses other local crafters to help her create products too using her fabric range, so if you fancy some new cushions, a bespoke lampshade or other handmade furbishments I recommend you call by to have a look. Week 2 was spent at Yorkshire Wolds Way Apple Juice, This is one of the yummiest little business’ local to Malton, based just half a mile out of Norton off Welham Road, it’s a hidden gem. Jane and Jon took on the business around a couple of years ago now, purchasing it from friends. As husband and wife they pride themselves on being a family run business, running it pretty much on their own with help from time-to-time off their son Toby (age 7, correct me if I’m wrong Jane). They do it all: Marketing, sourcing the apples-all from the UK, pressing and bottling of the apples too. I found the process fascinating to watch, as the apples were transformed in to the sweet nectar. It’s so lovely to see and know that traditional methods are still being used! When I visited Jane and Jon to see the process, I saw it all. The apples were first washed and then crushed in the mill, from here the mushy pulp was hand-scooped into the cheese cloths, then the fruity parcels were carefully stacked between the pressing boards and squished under high pressure (from a rather impressive machine) making the juice flood from the cloths where it was collected in a tank ready to be bottled. The process is referred to as the ‘cold press’ method. The juice then has a tiny bit of vitamin C added (ascorbic acid) this stops the juice discolouring. From here the sealed bottles go in to a huge bath of hot water, where it’s heated to a certain temperature-pasteurised, allowing the juice to be safely store for the next 18 months. Jane a Jon offer a variety of flavours such as: Apple and Pear, Apple and Raspberry, Bramley Apple, Sweet Apple and Spiced Apple juice (this one is delicious served warm) their juice is award winning and they are proud to say they supply both local business’ and well know ones too such as Betty’s tea-rooms. If you’d like to try some of their juice check out their website: https://yorkshirewoldsapplejuice.co.uk/our-products/ and I also believe it’s sold in The Patisserie in Malton too. Week 3 The Topiary Tree, Floristry Shop. Gemma’s mother, believe it or not, started in the floristry business around 30 years ago, selling dried flowers on the end of a market stall she used to work on. This progressed and she opened her first shop on Saville Street in Malton, with Gemma’s growing interest in the floristry trade she went off to Askham Bryan College, to train as a florist. Following in her mother footsteps, not long after she qualified, they took on a shop in Helmsley where Gemma’s career began to flourish. At 18 years old she was running her own shop, pretty amazing really. After a successful time in Helmsley they recently, because of personal reasons, decided to drop back down to the one shop, together deciding on Malton as the best location. The mother daughter team are non-the-less busier, they’ve built themselves an amazing reputation, so they’ve been busy with plenty of weddings along with the general day to day stuff too. Gemma and her mother have good relations with their customers, even when I went in for an hour to capture the idilic, little shop and Gemma at work, there were plenty of familiar faces popping in to say a friendly hello and ask after Gemma and her Mum. It’s lovely to see that that this type of community still is very much alive! The pair enjoy involving and promoting other small local business’ too, with Gemma doing plentiful Christmas wreath workshops over the festive season, running them from various cafes and places in Malton. She’s also included Louise, from The Drunken Candle and Florian Poirot in her latest Valentines hampers. So fella’s and ladies if you you’re struggling to think of something for your other half this Friday, why no pop in to The Topiary Tree and see what Gemma has to offer… Week 4 The Drunk Candle Co With a love for the odd cocktail, candles, all thing bright and making things, The Drunk Candle Company was born…it made sense for Louise to combine all these elements to make the perfect product! When I say perfect, I mean PERFECT, Louise’s candles smell divine and just like the real deal, from Rhubarb and Ginger Gin to Espresso Martini they are fantastic. Louise works from her dining room table in Malton, she’s a one-manned-band and totally mad (in a good way of course) about candles, which helps. Last week I joined Louise in one of her candle making sessions, where I got to watch her expertly mix and hand pour a batch of Clementine and Presecco scented burners. As she made the batch up, Louise passionately told me about the soy wax she chooses to use: she informed me of how her candles are as natural as they can be, being made with this wax, means they burn cleaner and for longer. Quids in, you can smell the scent almost twice as long as a normal candle of this size, plus you also don’t get any nasty chemicals being released in to the air whilst you’re doing so. Using the soy wax incredibly means that they are 100% vegan friendly too! I had no idea of all the sciences behind making a candles before we started, naively, I assumed you heated the wax, added the scent and pored them into their moulds, this is not so: Louise holds the secrets behind the temperatures, measurements and timings to getting the perfect aroma and the most efficient burning candles. She has learnt this through her experimentation and passion for the procedure. Louise also is the brains behind the branding, she designs each label herself and she tells me that the tin container is 100% recyclable also, something else Louise believes in. To get your hands on these heavenly, scented candles either check out her website https://thedrunkcandlecompany.co.uk alternately, visit @Plum or @the topiary tree in Malton. I know Louise is planning on expanding her radius in the near future to other local towns, but for now this is where she is. To say she started her company The Drunk Candle towards the end of 2019, I’d say she’s doing pretty well. Week 5 The Patisserie, Malton There’s no arguing that a bit of hard work and old-fashioned determination can’t get you to where you want to be in life. I’d say, “the proof is in the pudding,” with Andrew’s journey! He’s worked hard to get where he is today. I believe it was around 15-16 years ago we actually used to work together at The Crown and Cushion in Welburn, myself as a waitress/barmaid and Andrew in the kitchen prepping and serving food along with the head chef. Even back then Andrew was a dab-hand with puddings and all things sweet. After completing college Andrew worked in various establishments to further his career and passion for sous-cheffing, it was in the job where he learnt some of his finest skills working along side others trading and swapping ideas. It wasn’t easy though, the hours were long and sometimes Andrew would be first there on a morning and last there at night! Realising he wanted to stay in his chosen career and also enjoy a more sociable lifestyle with loved ones, he decided to take a chance and make a change, so he opened a sandwich shop on Malton high street. He was there for a few years with great success. He still had a love for the patisserie side of things though and he was missing it, so when he got chance to relocate to the former kitchenware shop, he jumped at the chance. Building on his sandwich business was obvious to Andrew, so he’s continuing with this on a more lavish level, offering: in house seating, local produce, afternoon teas and his famous homemade patisserie delicacies. Andrew’s cafe is now a firm favourite for locals, opening daily at 7.30am he has regular customers for both breakfast and coffee before work and then a steady stream throughout the day. Everything in the patisserie counter looked tempting from the custard slice to the lemon possets, even better, you can order them to take out too. I took home two Creme Egg Cheesecakes and two Jammie Dodger cupcakes, all I can say is I had two happy children and a jolly husband that evening :) The Patisserie is offering a great Mother Day deal too working with Sloe Motion Gin to offer a Gin Afternoon Tea experience, the afternoon tea looks incredible and is very reasonable (Mother’s Day offer is pre book only). It’s also worth knowing that although he likes people to pre book the afternoon tea before arriving it isn’t impossible just to walk in and get it, this is a real bonus. Andrew offers vouchers for any occasion as well, so if you have a birthday or your struggling for Mother’s Day ideas, why not pop into The Patisserie and treat someone special to a lovely afternoon out? Week 6: Skincare by Seda This week’s business is a little bit of a wild card, in the sense of that the business isn’t actually based in Malton itself… Seda, founder of Gum On (sports therapy products) was telling me about her new skin care business on an evening out with old work colleagues. When I listened to Seda talk about her latest qualification in Sculptural Face Lifting and Buccal massages, she totally had my undivided attention; Seda’s so passionate about the new procedure that she’s been recently learning down in London. The massage is chemical free and said to beat Botox hands down when undertaken on a regular basis; the massage works on facial muscles it strengthens them, whilst improving skin elasticity and dullness-caused through circulatory improvements. Effectively, it’s like giving you facial musicals a gym workout, hence it needs to be undertaken regularly. Not only is the massage a chemical and injection free alternative to a youthful appearance, it actually can help correct facial spasms and return the actual sculptural appearance of the face back to it’s youthful days- preventing saggy, double chins along with reducing them age telling crow’s feet and drooping corners of the mouth. If all of this wasn’t good enough, the treatment also encourages lymphatic drainage: Lymphatic drainage is linked to your immune system, so actually helps your body fight infections. Seda received expert training from Yakov Gershkovich himself to be able to offer and carry out this procedure, Yakov is the author, creator and master trainer in this facial sculpting treatment with over 16 years experience of experimentation, training and practice in 4 countries. She told me, “There were people there from all over Europe, and they’d flown in for the training due to their country’s slot being fully booked.” She is one of the only practitioners in the North of England, an extremely niche in her field; hence, the reason why she’s my wild card! Seda has been a resident in Malton for over 15 years, but feels her new found specialisation may be better recognised and easier to get to, for more people in the city of York. To contact Seda at the Salon, which is proudly ran by Luiza another local girl from the Malton area, please see the website: https://www.skintechclinic.co.uk or email her directly: skincarbyseda@gmail.com Week 7: The Cosy Cottage Soap Company Born literally, in a cosy, 350-year-old, cottage near York, Clara’s natural skincare company, is a recent organic ‘additive’ to Malton’s ever-growing array of small, independent business’. The Cosy Cottage Soap Company was set up by Clara after she realised just how many harmful, additives commercial cosmetics contained, her aim was to design and make a natural product that contained nothing nasty such as: SLS. paraben, SLES and palm oil. Clara is passionate about her products being ‘clean’ and good for the planet as well as free of these products. She doesn’t stop at the product itself either; Clara’s methods during both the production and packaging of the products are equally as environmentally friendly too. Not only can you rest easy when using The Cosy Cottage Soap Company’s products knowing they have been made with such attention to detail for our planets well being, you can also be 100% confident in Clara’s knowledge of the ingredients used to make each product too: Rather conveniently, Clara is also a qualify Chemist who is an associate of The Royal College of Science. Since moving to Malton Clara has been able to open her shop to the public and has in turn taken on more employees, one of which is her husband Philip, Philip helps Clara run the productions and operations line. Clara also has a great team behind her, helping her with marketing, design and sales. She’s recently started offering soap making workshops which have been a raging success, enticing people from as far as the south of England along with hen parties and local groups of people. If you ever find yourself wondering what to get for someone as a little gift, you should definitely call in and see Clara and her team, they will eagerly welcome you in the shop where you can browse at your leisure of ask for expert advice, they offer a gift box building service with lots of inspiration for you, making your conundrum, no more… The shop is based at 11B Market Street, Malton just to the rear or side of Talbot Yard and if you can’t wait to check in on Clara, why not look at her website: https://www.cosycottagesoap.co.uk I've loved where my project has taken me so far, it's been great to meet other local business owners and chat to them about their journey so far along with their plans for the future! Already, I've been surprised by the invisible "web" these people seem to have created between them, so many of them linking together organically. It's inspiring to think that our community cares so much about each other, they are passionate about using local suppliers and promoting each other along the way. Together we are stronger! Where will I end up next, hmm...