Latest news with #Potfest
Scottish Sun
01-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's best place to retire revealed as town with beautiful countryside and historic streets
Read on to discover others on the list OAP SPOT Scotland's best place to retire revealed as town with beautiful countryside and historic streets Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HADDINGTON has been revealed as Scotland's best place to retire. Haddington, East Lothian, offers beautiful countryside, coastal adventures and historic streets filled with quaint cafes and tearooms. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Google searches for 'care homes in Haddington' have surged by 126 per cent, according to carehome comparison site Lottie. Stonehaven, Glenrothes, Fraserburgh, North Ayrshire and Airdrie also made the list. Elsewhere Scotland's happiest hotspots were unveiled in a fresh study, with two places making the UK's list of most contented areas. The Guardian compiled the rankings using data from the University of Liverpool, considering factors such as access to green spaces, proximity to healthcare services, air quality, broadband speeds, public transport links, and crime levels. Cultural and community amenities, including cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries, and pubs, were also given additional weight. Introducing the list, money editor Hilary Osborne acknowledged: 'Not everyone will agree with our choices, and we can't guarantee happiness to everyone living in these locations. "However, one of them might be your happy place.' Perth has earned its spot as one of Scotland's happiest places, proudly known as "the gateway to the Highlands." The paper described the Tayside gem as a city that "keeps its cards close to its chest" compared to Scotland's more famous hotspots. But with "hippest villages" and top-notch "food destinations," Perthshire has plenty to charm both locals and visitors alike. Dubbed a cultural powerhouse for its size, Perth boasts an impressive art gallery, a theatre, a concert hall, and a stunning art deco cinema – all for a population of just 47,000. Its annual arts festival adds to the buzz, while June's Potfest, the UK's biggest ceramics festival, and August's Perthshire Pride keep the city's events calendar packed. Perfectly placed, Perth offers easy access to Edinburgh in 90 minutes, Glasgow in under an hour, and breathtaking train journeys north through the Cairngorms to Aviemore and Inverness. Just a half-hour from Edinburgh, the commuter town of Haddington also earned a spot on the list of happiest places.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's happiest places to live revealed as ‘Highland gateway' takes top spot
Scroll below to find out if you live in Scotland's happiest place ON CLOUD NINE Scotland's happiest places to live revealed as 'Highland gateway' takes top spot Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTLAND'S happiest hotspots have been unveiled in a fresh study – with two places making the UK's list of most contented areas. The Guardian compiled the rankings using data from the University of Liverpool, considering factors such as access to green spaces, proximity to healthcare services, air quality, broadband speeds, public transport links, and crime levels. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 English border town Berwick-on-Tweed topped the list of UK spots Credit: Alamy Cultural and community amenities, including cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries, and pubs, were also given additional weight. Introducing the list, money editor Hilary Osborne acknowledged: 'Not everyone will agree with our choices, and we can't guarantee happiness to everyone living in these locations. "However, one of them might be your happy place.' PERTH 7 Perth is considered one of the happiest places to live in the UK Credit: Getty Perth has earned its spot as one of Scotland's happiest places, proudly known as "the gateway to the Highlands." The paper described the Tayside gem as a city that "keeps its cards close to its chest" compared to Scotland's more famous hotspots. But with "hippest villages" and top-notch "food destinations," Perthshire has plenty to charm both locals and visitors alike. Dubbed a cultural powerhouse for its size, Perth boasts an impressive art gallery, a theatre, a concert hall, and a stunning art deco cinema – all for a population of just 47,000. 7 Perth has been dubbed a cultural powerhouse with an impressive Art Gallery and Museum Credit: Alamy Its annual arts festival adds to the buzz, while June's Potfest, the UK's biggest ceramics festival, and August's Perthshire Pride keep the city's events calendar packed. Perfectly placed, Perth offers easy access to Edinburgh in 90 minutes, Glasgow in under an hour, and breathtaking train journeys north through the Cairngorms to Aviemore and Inverness. 7 Perth is considered the "gateway to the Highlands" with easy access to the mountains Credit: Alamy HADDINGTON 7 The market town with Haddington is considered one of the happiest places in the UK Credit: Alamy Live News Just a half-hour from Edinburgh, the commuter town of Haddington also earned a spot on the list of happiest places. We live in Scottish town labelled one of the most boring in Britain Described as a "small, friendly" town, it's praised for its strong community spirit and plentiful amenities. 7 Amisfield Walled Garden is one of the attractions in Haddington Credit: Alamy The listing highlighted Haddington's rich history, noting: "Since being classified a burgh by King David I in the 12th century, Haddington has grown into a thriving market town, with a jumble of historic buildings and properties from different periods. "Today's town centre still revolves around the slim isosceles triangle of Market Street, High Street and Hardgate – its historic heart for centuries." This East Lothian gem is packed with independent shops, from clothing boutiques and a bookshop to a wellness emporium, as well as a deli, cheese shop, and a lively monthly farmers' market. 7 There is plentiful green space to enjoy in the East Lothian town Credit: Alamy The Guardian also revealed the top three happiest places to live in the UK, with the border town Berwick-upon-Tweed taking the top spot. Famous for its turbulent history, Berwick switched between England and Scotland at least 13 times before finally settling as England's most northerly town in 1482. Second place went to the Worcestershire town of Evesham, while the north Wales gem Caernarfon claimed third on the list.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet the chef behind the cakes and bakes at Hutton-in-the-Forest
As part of our Meet the Chef series, we're talking to some of Cumbria's finest about their lives in and out of the kitchen. This week, it's the turn of Elaine Martin of Cloisters Tearoom at Hutton-in-the Forest What is your current role and what does it involve? I am the cook in the Cloisters Tearoom at Hutton-in-the Forest, a beautiful historic house near Penrith. I had worked in the tearoom serving customers for nine years when the opportunity came up to take on the role as cook permanently. My day starts at 9am making fresh scones, both fruit and cheese. Cheese and wild garlic are on the menu now, which involves picking wild garlic from the woods on the estate. Next, I prepare the soup and get organised for lunch. Everything is prepared in our kitchen and all cakes are homemade. How did you first get into cooking? I call myself a cook not a chef because I am more about home baking. I started by working in the kitchen for Lady Inglewood on Friday mornings, making cakes and dinners for the family. From this I then started working in the tearoom. I enjoyed working with the public and serving customers. Throughout this time, I had worked with numerous cooks picking up on different ideas. I remember when I'd only worked there for a few months, going on holiday and coming back to work the next week to find that the cook had left, and I had to start making scones. My cooking started at home, when I came in from school as a teenager, I had to make hearty meals for my family as my mum worked. I've always liked baking. Homemade cakes and biscuits are always popular with a growing family. (Image: Hutton-in-the-Forest) ADVERTISEMENT What was your first job in hospitality? This is my first job in hospitality and I work from March until October at Hutton-in-the-Forest. What is your signature dish? I like to try new recipes and the latest I have made recently is a sticky toffee flapjack. It has become very popular in the tearoom. It is easy to make, and tastes really nice. I would say this is my new signature dish for this year. What's been your worst cooking disaster? I don't think I can recall any total disasters in my cooking. There are times things don't go well, an overcooked sponge goes well in a trifle. What are your culinary ambitions? My culinary ambition for the future is to continue trying new recipes and work on providing afternoon teas. Hutton-in-the-Forest is certainly a lovely place for an afternoon tea and this is something I love too. I have lots of ideas that we are putting in place over the summer. We are open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday but then have extra days when groups are in. We also hold events through the summer, including a very busy Potfest over three days. I enjoy my work; my home life works well around it. Hutton-in-the-Forest is just one of the venues being highlighted by the Let's Go Culture project, which has received £99,194 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is being supported by Westmorland & Furness Council.
