The Blossom Tree can now be found at: Williams Yard, Derby Road, Melbourne, Derby   DE73 8JR

Click here to take a look at The Blossom Tree.

An evening at Bow - Thursday 9th June from 7pm onwards

Bow Boutique in Matlock are inviting you to their first shopping indulgence evening in the new shop!  With extended ranges of gifts, cards, & interiors, including vintage & one off ‘upcycled’ furniture pieces, the evening will be a perfect opportunity to enjoy a glass of bubbly whilst browsing new ranges from Gisela Graham, Greengate, East of India and many more local unique artisans.  There will also be inspiring demonstrations from local artisan, Hearts & Homespun.

Location: Bow Boutique, 8 Causeway Lane, Matlock, Derbyshire.  DE4 3AR.

Bow will also be exhibiting at the fabulousplaces.co.uk Food & Gift Fair at The Roundhouse on Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd July 2011.  Full event information can be found at events.fabulousplaces.co.uk.

You can now buy your copy of the fabulousplaces.co.uk etc. magazine at the following fabulous places:

Online at fabulousplaces.co.uk

The Bottlekiln, West Hallam
Bluebells Dairy, Spondon
Studio 61, Holloway
Hassop Station, Bakewell
The Loaf, Crich
Alphabet Gift Shop, Mickleover

We will also be selling the magazine at the Derbyshire Food & Drink Festival at Hardwick Hall on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May 2011.

The etc. magazine is a 2011 publication from fabulousplaces.co.uk with 74 pages of Derbyshire, food, places, days out, inspiration and makers.

Click here to purchase your copy online at fabulousplaces.co.uk now.

etc. magazine is brought to you by fabulousplaces.co.uk & thingswemake.wordpress.com

The day will be a celebration of the most fabulous local food producers, gifts shops and gift producers…the event will be a feast of gorgeous things.

Click here for full information about the event…hope to see you there!

Entry is £1
Free for under 16s and fabulousplaces.co.uk Derbyshire Card holders.

If you love fabulousplaces.co.uk then you’ll absolutely love the Summer Fete!

This will be the second Summer Fete I’ve run through fabulousplaces.co.uk and I’m really looking forward to this one!  The Fete will be held at Shottle Hall where there’ll be lots of fabulous things going on inside and outside; gifts, local food, farmers market and a lots to keep the little ones busy!

Join us for a fabulous day in the countryside!

For more information and exhibitor list click here to visit the website.

I decided earlier this week that the next blog would have a green theme and straight away contacted the lovely Alison, owner of eco eco in Hope to ask for her advice.  Alison owns the fabulous eco eco home & eco eco clothing in Hope, Derbyshire.

I would categorise myself as a beginner when it comes to being green…I’ve made lots of changes to the way I live over the past 12 months and proudly own a monitor that tells me how much electricity I’m using around my home at any one time, which is absolutely fantastic and, frankly, lifestyle changing!  Saying that, I know there are many more changes I can make.

Here are some tips and advice from Alison to help you if you’re wondering how you can make some changes to your lifestyle:

Buy local

The distance travelled by much of our food is pretty scary. Do we REALLY need to buy strawberries from Africa in the middle of winter?  Click here to read up on the implications of long-haul veggies.

Consider buying seasonal and local produce where possible. The Big Barn website can help you find sources in your area and also provides recipes using seasonal ingredients.

The fabulousplaces.co.uk website can help you find local producers, like The Loaf in Crich, Bluebells Dairy in Spondon, Crow Wood Farm in Spondon & I Should Cocoa in Belper.

Local box schemes are a good idea as they usually concentrate on sourcing food from local producers. Search for one near you at the Find A Box Scheme website.

Reduce travel

Reducing the amount you travel doesn’t have to mean staying at home. Opt for public transport where available, ride a bike to reduce your carbon footprint (with the added advantage of improving fitness), or try car-sharing. Journeys with only one person per vehicle are wasteful and have a large environmental impact so share the journey and the cost of the trip between the passengers.

Before you travel consider each journey – is it really necessary? Don’t pop down to the shops for one or two items but wait until you need to do a proper shop.  Alternatively walk instead of taking the car; another way to save money, get fit and reduce your carbon footprint.

Buy less, make more

Unfortunately we seem to live in a society where shopping is considered a recreation. There is increasing pressure to buy new products even when we don’t really need them; one might argue we don’t even want them until we’re told we do! Buying a new phone just because it’s a prettier colour or has an interesting feature that we’ll never use is not a good use of our money. When you go shopping think carefully about everything you buy. If necessary go off and have a coffee before committing; perhaps the desire to buy will wear off!

Alternatively have a go at making things yourself. Knitting, crochet, dressmaking and DIY are enjoyable and constructive and you can create items that are  far more interesting and individual than the mass-produced goods available from shops. Instead of buying gifts, spend a little time poring over books or wandering round the internet to find ideas for things to make. Home-made presents show more thought. Even if you can’t knit or sew, a jar full of cookie mix or a plant from your garden is a lovely and unexpected treat that will be enjoyed far more than yet another corporate bodycare product.

Some useful websites full of ideas include the Martha Stewart website and allaboutyou.com.

When you do need to buy, consider where and how the product was made. Instead of buying something that is disposable, can you find a similar item that will last? How about looking at second-hand furniture instead of just rushing to IKEA again? Alternatively, support local craftspeople and makers by buying goods that are made with skill and care, giving pleasure every time you look at them. Bear in mind that cheap products were probably made by companies with less than ethical policies. That two quid t-shirt might seem like a bargain but how long will it last and how many people suffered to make it? Start thinking rather than just shopping.

Enjoy nature, reduce consumption

Got a day off with the family? Instead of heading for the high street you could go for a walk together, ending up with a picnic. Even in towns and cities there are points of interest that you might not notice when you drive past, and local parks provide a safe place to finish. Failing that, aim for a local coffee shop or restaurant.  If there are children in the party you can create or download nature-based games for them to play from the Wildlife Watch website and the BBC website.

Alternatively spend a little while before going out researching the area. Investigate local buildings and history or make up ‘spotting’ games, awarding points for different categories, perhaps 3 points for a yellow front door, or 1 point for a blue van. Using imagination can make even apparently uninspiring walks fun.

Detoxify your home

Take a look around your house at the cleaning products you use, then examine everything in your bathroom cabinet and make-up bag. Read the labels and then consult some of these sites; www.non-toxic.info and www.ewg.org.

Many of the products we use contain petroleum-based ingredients which will become increasingly expensive if present predictions regarding oil supplies are correct. However, more worryingly, a large number of chemicals in household products and personal care are actually harmful. Be aware of the risks to your health by educating yourself, and bear in mind the environmental impact of products that poison watercourses and kill wildlife.

Consider making your own bodycare and cleaning products from site such as www.ehow.com and www.care2.com.

Alternatively, buy from reputable companies that sell non-toxic alternatives.

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A big thank you to Alison Jackson-Bass from eco eco in Hope for the eco hints and tips!  Click here for full information about the fabulous eco eco.

Alison will be exhibiting at the next fabulousplaces.co.uk…a shopping indulgence evening at the gorgeous Blackbrook House nr Belper.  Tickets are £5 each and the event will be supporting the Wirksworth Rotary Club’s Aquabox Scheme.

The Studio, Mickleover
Portrait & Wedding Photography…click here to find out more.

Jackie Thompson Couture
Wedding dress designers with a difference…click here to find out more.

]]> http://blog.fabulousplaces.co.uk/index.php/2010/01/18/new-to-fabulousplaces-co-uk/feed/ 0 http://blog.fabulousplaces.co.uk/index.php/2009/12/28/holiday-food/ http://blog.fabulousplaces.co.uk/index.php/2009/12/28/holiday-food/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:26:51 +0000 admin http://blog.fabulousplaces.co.uk/?p=394 For me, and most people I know, this time of year is mostly about food, food and food.  With that in mind I’ve been in touch with Claire, my friend and domestic goddess from Ambergate, to ask what she recommends and here they are…two fab recipes to breakaway from the usual type of food on the menu at this time of year!  For breakfast there are pancakes and risotto for dinner…enjoy!

Breakfast Pancakes

For a small batch of around 8 pancakes just mix:

125g plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder (if you have not got baking powder you can use self raising flour instead and miss it out)
1 large egg
150mls of milk
1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Lightly mix or whisk together and use immediately.  Spoon tablespoons of the gloopy mixture into a medium hot, lightly oiled non stick pan and flip them over when the edges start to bubble.

Serve with maple or golden syrup and cream or fruit.  Double amounts is our usual order of the day and makes around 14 pancakes. For Christmas Day Brunch we tripled the amounts (3 eggs) and served them with sausages, bacon and maple syrup.

Risotto time

Here’s a great recipe for winter warming risotto.

Chop 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1-2 sticks of celery, 2 garlic cloves, 1 pack of thinly sliced pancetta. In a sauce pan heat a litre of good hot chicken stock…or turkey stock!

In a large, preferably non stick pan, fry off the pancetta until all the fat has run out. Then stir in the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. and cook down until most of the moisture is gone and the quantity has halved, adding a bit of olive oil if things start to brown too quickly. Stir in half a pack, 250g, of Carnaroli Risotto Rice and stir until it crackles.

Flamboyantly throw in a glass of Vermouth or white wine and stir well. Then start adding ladles full of hot stock, one at a time, as you keep stirring and stirring. Only add a new ladle full when the last one has been absorbed. When you have added most or all of the stock and the rice is just about done, take it off the heat. Add a handful of parmesan and an ounce of butter. Stir and leave it with the lid on for 10 minutes. This is when I add any interesting extras like skinned and deseeded tomatoes or fresh peas.

The great thing with risotto is that the additions can change with the seasons or whatever you fancy at the time…fish, mushrooms, pine nuts, prawns, asparagus etc.

Here’s one I made earlier:

A big thank you to Claire for kindly letting me include her recipes in the fabulousplaces.co.uk blog…I hope you decide to have a go!  Click here to visit Claire’s blog, ‘Things We Make’, where you can find lots of other fab recipes.

Also, if you’re looking for somewhere to go during the holidays click here to go to the fabulousplaces.co.uk search page for some fabulous inspiration for some trips out and about in Derbyshire.  Happy Holidays!

Deb

I jumped at the chance of producing a Christmas guide in Polly’s List.  Polly’s List, created by the lovely Carol Dixon, is the first directory for mums of primary ages little ones in the Derby area.  The publication is an invaluable handbag sized guide covering everything from after school and childcare to days out and parties.  Polly’s List also includes fabulous features on shopping, beauty and health and wellbeing.  As soon as I had browsed the first edition, I knew I had to be involved!

My feature, Deb’s Fabulous Christmas, gives you some great recommendations for places to visit during the Christmas season and also a selection of Derbyshire’s fabulous producers giving you some great inspiration for Christmas shopping!  The feature also advertises the upcoming fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market at Blackbrook House on Sat 21st and Sun 22nd November.  For full information please click here.

For more information about Polly’s List please click here.

Team ‘Fabulous Faces’:

Me – Deb, Owner, fabulousplaces.co.uk
Claire Sutton, FP Club Member & Domestic Goddess…click here to visit her fab blog.
Wendy & Jason – Quirky Cookies & Cakes
Kerry – The Blossom Tree
Charlotte – Cupcake Corner
David – squarechilli (the developing mastermind behind the fab places website)

Fingers crossed for a successful week!  If you would like to help the Team you can click here to follow us on Twitter.

Deb