I am delighted to announce that the next fabulousplaces.co.uk event will be taking place on the evening of Thursday 4th March at the stunning Blackbrook House nr Belper.

Indulgence Evening
An exclusive evening of shopping, demonstrations & indulgence
Thursday 4th March 2010 (7-10pm)
Blackbrook House nr Belper, Derbyshire
Tickets are £5 each (event is free to Derbyshire Card holders)
Click here to get your ticket

Guests will receive a drink, mini cupcake & goody bag on arrival.  There will be a selection of fabulous places and producers to browse and there will be demonstrations being held throughout the evening.  Blackbrook House will also be holding cheese and wine tasting.  With the event being so close to Mothers Day, it will be the perfect opportunity to find something special for Mum.  Even better…why not take your Mum with you for a treat.

The event will be supporting the Wirksworth Rotary Club Aquabox Scheme, which sends vital resources and water filtering units to locations of natural disasters like the recent Haiti earthquake.  Proceeds from the entry ticket and raffle will be donated to the charity.

Exhibitors include:

Quirky Cookies & Cakes
Cocomine Chocolates
Lucy Sheeran Cards
Anney Grace Jewellery
Cameo Cupcakes
Housley & Co
Blossom Tree
Jamie Oliver Home & Giftware
Ribbon
Hearts & Homespun
Nina Carolyn Jewellery
Carol Cummins (handmade home accessories)
Lavender grey
Jack Rabbits
Eco Eco
Raggedy Homespun Crafts
Bow at the Printworks 

More fabulous businesses added daily…

Click here to get your ticket to the Indulgence Evening
Click here to get your Derbyshire Card.  If you are already a Derbyshire Card holder please click here to let us know you will be attending.

I would like to say a big thank you to the following businesses for supporting this event:
Blackbrook House, Belper
Dorset Cereals
Teapigs
Cameo Cupcakes
Quirky Cookies & Cakes

Christmas Market
Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd November 2009
11-5pm
Blackbrook House, Belper, Derbyshire

Here are the fabulous places and producers attending to date:

Quirky Cookies & Cakes – novelty cookies, biscotti & much more
eco eco – ethical & eco friendly gifts for home & garden
Studio 61 Gallery Boutique – ceramics, bath & body, cards & more
the loaf – amazing artisan bread & festive handmade food.
Anney Grace Jewellery – handmade unique jewellery
The Blossom Tree - festive flowers & fresh door wreaths
The Beetroot Tree – hand crafted gifts and art
Housley & Co – handmade cushions pictures, bags & more
Bow at the printworks – home accessories & gifts
Vintage & Cake – homemade cakes
Elaine Lim-Newton – East Asian inspired ceramics
Lavender grey – home accessories & gifts
I Should Cocoa – artisan chocolate gifts
Jack Rabbits – gorgeous home cooked food
HWR Designs – handmade textile accessories
Havoc Jewellery – handmade jewellery
Usborne Books – fab books for little ones
Bluebells Dairy & Farm Shop

Blackbrook House will also be offering an outdoor German-style food market with hot offerings. You will also be able to preorder your Christmas Tree.

As with the Summer Fete, there will also be lots to keep the little ones entertained, from face painting to craft corner.

The Christmas Market is all about the fabulous independent places and producers featured on the website, so you can be rest assured that the quality and array of products on display will be the best Derbyshire has to offer.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Here are some events taking place over the next couple of weeks, so if you have a spare day with nothing planned take a look below for some inspiration….

Oliver’s Organics – Jamie Oliver Kitchenware Open Day, Tuesday 23rd June
Call by Oliver’s Organics in Allestree from 12 onwards on Tuesday to browse the truly wonderful Jamie Oliver range & also sample his range of yummy food.  The event is open to everyone…I’ll be calling in to have a look.  To have a sneak preview of his range visit: www.jamieoliver.com/jme

Gifted, Duffield
20% off EVERYTHING until the end of June!  Visit Gifted’s page on the website for directions.

Open Studios at Rachel Helen Designs
Saturday 27th, 10am – 5pm & Sunday 28th, 10am – 4pm.  Click here to view the FP page for Rachel Helen Designs.  

NEW   The Old Schoolhouse, Stanton-by-Dale
Recently opened by Ali Lycett, The Cake Sculptor, in May, The Old Schoolhouse is a wonderful new place to meet for coffee, homemade cakes and lunches and cupcakes of course!  Visit www.theoldschoolhouse.moonfruit.com/ for full information.

Saturday 27th June, 12.00 onwards
Duffield Show
I’ll be there promoting the website!  Pop by & say hello!

Sunday 28th June
Derbyshire County Show, Elvaston
A truly great day out for all the family…visit www.derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk for more information.   I’ll be there promoting the website in the farmer markets area. 

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Why not get out and about and visit some fabulous places in Derbyshire?  fabulousplaces.co.uk is the perfect ‘where to go’ resource if you’re looking for an extra special visit into Derbyshire.  This blog post is looking at the A6 journey into Derbyshire, starting from Duffield and ending at Avant Garde in Baslow.

Gifted is a lovely gift boutique on the main road in Duffield.  From jewellery to bags and homwares to childrens traditional toys.  Gifted is open 7 days a week.

Next on the A6 is Belper which has lots of fabulous places:


I Should Cocoa – a must see for all chocolate lovers.  This is artisan chocolate at its best and the selection is to die for…there are even a few surprising chocolates for the adventurous chocolate fan.  I Should Cocoa also have a lunch menu which is perfect for a light bite at a great price.  I Should Cocoa is open Monday to Saturday.

Fresh Basil – a fab deli eatery offering a great range of carefully selected local and continental deli produce, homemade cakes, bread, meats, eggs and lots of other tempting fresh goodies.  They also have a great menu, which I’m working my way through…delicious!  Fresh Basil is open Monday to Saturday.

Definitely worth a visit is Sweetings Interiors.  On several floors, this interiors shop is a wonderful place to lose an hour wondering round getting  lots of inspiration. Sweetings is open 7 days a week.

The next must see is Lavender grey.  This little shop is fabulous, each time I visit I know there will be something to tempt me.  Run by Lucy, an interior designer, who is always happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.  Lavender grey is open Tuesday to Saturday. 

Next would have to be Bow at the Printworks in Cromford.  I wonderful little shop full of accessories for the home, jewellery and cards.  What I love about Bow is that each item is carefully selected by the owner, Susanna, and the prices are very reasonable.  Susanna also sources locally and stocks lots of products made from all over Derbyshire.



Heading a little further towards Bakewell, I always stop off at Caudwells Mill.  The Mill has such a lovely atmosphere on a sunny day and the eatery is great….the hommity pie is delicious and the cakes always look and taste fab.

 After Caudwells Mill I would go for a wonder around the Chatsworth Estate.  A mid afternoon walk around Chatsworth is a treat.  The best walk, in my opinion, and it’s totally free, is to head up through the car park and follow the track past the farm yard and round to the right.  This takes you up to the back of the house, a great view and there are also magical-looking lakes, waterfalls and woodland – the perfect place to head with doggies and it’s normally very quiet.

Our Chatsworth ritual is to finish off in the farm shop to get sausages and other goodies to cook for tea when we get home…or in the case of the caramel slices, to eat in the car on the way home!

I’m not sure how much time you’ll have left, but Avant Garde in Baslow is one of my favourites.

This is a pretty full on day and it can be done with children and/or doggies…especially if you’re lucky like I am and have a partner who’s happy to wonder around with the dogs while I nip into browse round a shop!  ) 

Have fun!

What can I say! The evening was a huge success and I’m now enjoying some much needed rest. Well, I’m sat on the sofa with a cup of tea and biscuits with the laptop typing this blog, that will do for now!

Thanks so much to everyone who came along to the Showcase – guests travelled from all over Derbyshire, Sheffield and Nottingham! I hope you had a fabulous time and enjoyed the opportunity to browse so many fabulous products in one place. I hope you all liked your goody bags too! You’ll find some really great goodies in there… a Teapigs sample, Weleda products, a packet of Crips, a Dorset Cereals bar and flyers/offers from some of the fabulous places featured on the website.

Below are a selection of photographs taken at the event. To view a larger image, please click on one of the thumbnails:

I have a few people who I would like to say a huge thank you to:

Firstly, thank you to all the fabulous businesses who took part in the event. I’m sure you’ll all agree, every stall looked fantastic!

Lucy….thank you for all your ‘fabulous’ help leading up to and during the event – you’re a star! )

Lastly, thank you all for coming along to the event and supporting the website. I would love to receive your feedback on what you thought of the event… please take a moment to enter your comments below.

Ok, let’s start from the beginning…
I’m so pleased I decided to launch the website, after lots of long conversations with my partner, David, about how it could work etc. etc….here it is! As much as I’m in my element and loving it, I wasn’t quite prepared for how busy I would become. During every spare moment, I‘ve been visiting new places to feature on the website and, with that, spending lots of money….the problem with visiting all these fabulous places is that they’re full of fabulous things!
Anyone who knows me will agree when I say I’m unable to resist temptation, as much as I try, I’ve found
it’s just not worth fighting it!

Here are some of the places I’ve visited and given the Stamp of Approval:

Lavender Grey, Belper
A beautiful little shop selling gorgeous home accessories. Lucy, the owner, is an interior designer and it certainly shows in the way the shop is presented.

Wheatcrofts Wharf, Cromford
This has to be a one of my favourite places to go with my dogs, Molly & Toby. The cafe is perfect for a spot of lunch sat outside by the canal.

The Cake Sculptor, Shipley
What can I say….Ali makes the most amazing cakes and cupcakes!! She’s a talented lady and very passionate about what she does, which shows in every cake she makes.

Scarthin Books, CromfordAll Harry Potter lovers will lose themselves here. I walked around expecting a character from the movies to come whizzing round the corner. The cafe is great, selling an array of vegetarian and vegan treats. Clare Gage Ceramics, Chesterfield Clare Gage makes slip cast porcelain ceramics which are sold in galleries around the country. You can view Clare’s work at Created Gallery in Chesterfield.

Bow @ The Printworks, Cromford
Bow is a fab little shop selling home accessories, jewellery and toiletries. Susanna prides herself in selling an array of products from local suppliers.

I have to say, the website has enabled me to meet some fantastic business people, who have also become friends. They’re all so passionate about what they do and incredibly committed to their customers. The lovely Ali, The Cake Sculptor, has kindly offered me space on her stall at the Denby Food & Gift Fayre at Denby Pottery Visitors Centre on August Bank Holiday Weekend 24th & 25th. Please do pop by, say hello and grab yourself a cupcake!

Great News!! I have arranged an amazing prize for the website’s August Competition…..a spa day for two, including lunch and treatments, at Losehill House Hotel in Hope, Derbyshire. The competition is open to all FP Club members…all you have to do is leave a review for one of the fabulous places featured on the website.
The competition will end at midnight on Sunday 31st August.

Attention all FP Club Members:
I’m thinking about putting an evening together for fabulousplaces.co.uk Club Members and thought I would ask for your feedback…would you come along and do you have any suggestions on what you would like the evening to include? I would try and arrange for it to take place at one of the fabulous places featured on the website. Please click here to send me your feedback. Thanks!

Congratulations to Ann Cooper!! Ann was the lucky winner of the July Competition prize….a hamper full of fabulous things from fabulous places.