Try out a few local recipes in our well-equipped cottage kitchen during your stay with us. Spend a fun day browsing the local farmer’s markets and regional produce shops then come home and cook up a Gloucestershire or Cotswold storm. The whole family can join in and you will end up with a souvenir you can take home and cook for friends and family. Here is a tasty traditional Cotswold meal all the family can enjoy.

Gloucestershire Squab Pie

You may think this tasty dish may contain young pigeons, otherwise known as squabs, but this pie is always been made with lamb. The flavour of local lamb will be delicious set off by the sharp apple and spices. This recipe serves four.

225 g (8 oz) plain flour salt and pepper
50 g (2 oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) lard
700 g (1 1/2 lb) lamb neck fillets, sliced into 12 pieces
1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced
450 g (1 lb) onions, skinned and thinly sliced
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) ground allspice
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) grated nutmeg
150 ml (1/4 pint) lamb or beef stock
Fresh milk, to glaze

1. Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water and mix in to form firm dough. Knead lightly until smooth, and then chill until required.
Lazy tip: Buy your short crust pastry ready made!

2. Place half the lamb in the base of a 900 ml (1 1/2 pint) pie dish. Arrange half the apple slices and half the onion slices over the top. Sprinkle over the allspice and nutmeg and season. Repeat layers and pour over the stock.

3. Roll out the pastry to fit the dish and use to cover the pie. Moisten edges so the pastry is well sealed. Use pastry trimmings to decorate.
Tip: Traditional decorations are leaves on savoury pies.

4. Brush the pastry with milk and bake at 200°C (400°F) mark 6 for 20 minutes.

5. Reduce the temperature to 180°C (350°F) mark 4 and cook for a further 1 hour 15 minutes.

6. Serve hot with salad, fresh new potatoes, and vegetables.

Speech House Pudding

This pudding was served to Charles II at The Speech House, which was his hunting lodge. The ancient order of the Verderers, love this recipe. They were responsible for the upkeep of the forest and maintaining local laws in the area of the Forest of Dean. Serves four.

125 g unsalted butter
50 g caster sugar
Four egg yolks
120 g self raising flour
1 tbsp raspberry jam
Four egg whites
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, dissolved into 2 tbsp milk
1. With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a two-pint pudding basin with softened butter.
2. In a bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time then add the flour. Beat the mixture well.

3. Add the raspberry jam and fold in carefully until mixed throughout.

4. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater, until they form unwavering peaks when the beater is lifted out of the bowl.

5. Quickly stir in the soda and milk mixture, and then gently fold in the egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin and cover with a lightly buttered foil lid.

6. Place bowl in a saucepan and pour enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Bring the water to boil then place a lid on the saucepan and simmer for two hours. Add more water if necessary.

7. Remove the pudding from the water. Rest the pudding for a minute or two. Remove the foil lid and invert the pudding onto a plate.
To serve: Melt two tablespoons of raspberry jam in a saucepan and pour over the pudding. Serve with custard, cream, or ice cream.

Cheltenham's Pittville Pump Rooms

On further investigation, it was discovered the area where the birds were flocking contained a mineral spring and the salt was attracting the birds. In honour of the pigeons, three are included in the town’s crest. The site where the waters were first discovered is now occupied by the famous girls school Cheltenham Ladies College.

The discovery of this mineral spring resulted in many small and large spas being set up by anyone who could bore a hole. Each proprietor offered different mineral compositions, cold bath treatments, and tepid medicinal baths and naturally charged for the privilege of taking the waters.

Recommended by doctors, the waters were lauded as a cure for all kinds of afflictions, from pimples, ulcers to those mysterious “female diseases”. Gout was prevalent and although it was probably due to the excesses of Regency living, it was believed the waters were a cure. All ailments were deemed suitable for taking the waters. The waters were also famed for stimulating the bowel regions! The patrons of the spas would for the sake of modesty and form wear quite a lot of clothing in the water although there was bound to be shenanigans behind closed doors! A thriving social scene to rival Bath added to Cheltenham’s fortunes as people would take houses for five or six weeks to effect their “cure” and in the meantime enjoy balls, lavish dances and entertainments combined with a dip or two in the spa.

Royal patronage triggered a massive building boom in the town and transformed it from a minor town into an elegant spa resort with some iconic period architecture. For a hundred years, Cheltenham boomed as a spa resort but gradually it lost its popularity and fell into decline. Sadly, many of the wonderful spa buildings were demolished but the legacy remains in one of the most complete Regency towns in Britain. The jewel of this Regency legacy is the Pump Room the grandest surviving spa building in Cheltenham. Overlooking the ornamental lakes and lawns of Pittville Park, you can step back in time and try the mineral-rich spring waters for yourself. It tastes somewhat unpleasant but reputedly has the power to cure any ills you may have!

If you have a few creaks, aches, or pains, there will be no harm at all in visiting Cheltenham while you are staying here in Cooks Green Holiday Cottage and taking the waters. You never know, it might just do the trick.

Read more on the history of Cheltenham here.

An Iron Age fort dominates the Herefordshire Beacon that most visitors make a special effort to see. The ramparts, which are 2000 years old, are still clearly visible today. This fort was thought to be a line of defence where people gathered in times of trouble. However, nearby excavations suggest the fort was permanently occupied. If this were the case, then the fort would have been home to 4000 people or thereabouts for up to 500 years.

Hill forts made way for different defences once the Romans arrived. Caractacus the last of the ancient British chieftains made a final stand against the Romans at British Camp in the Malverns. If legend is to be believed, he was captured and imprisoned in Rome but so enamoured was Emperor Claudius with Caractacus, he gave him a villa and a generous pension! The coming of the Romans meant the end of hill forts, but the start of one of the great Malvern legends.

Popular folklore has it that the Ancient British chieftain Caractacus made his last stand at British Camp.

The legend says that he was captured after a heroic fight and transported to Rome, where he so impressed the Emperor Claudius that he was given a villa and a pension.

Unfortunately, this legend is unlikely to be true. The composer Elgar was enchanted by the tale and wrote a cantata in 1898 called Caractacus.

This famous beauty spot has scenic views over Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Worcestershire Beacon is the highest spot at 425 metres (1395ft) above sea level. There are many natural springs and wells in the area and a spa town evolved at nearby Great Malvern. Malvern water is a famed and highly sought after table water for drinking and one of the first bottled by Schweppes in 1850. A favourite of several generations of royalty, Queen Elizabeth II takes Malvern water with her on all her overseas travels.

There are fun spy trails to follow where you can find clues to solve on a circular driving or cycling tour. The spy pack has been expertly designed so you can test your problem solving skills, learn about the history, and see the most spectacular sights. There are plenty of inns and hostelries along the way for refreshments and plenty of picnic areas. The Malvern Hills are one of our most highly recommended places to visit during your stay at Cooks Green Cottage – happy exploring!

There are a wealth of attractions in the Forest of Dean, and every age and style is catered for. There are many museums, historic buildings, and caves where the area’s fascinating history can be discovered.  A favourite family attraction is a ride on a steam train and the forest animals at close quarters. The villages and towns in the area are ideal for exploring and browsing the many arts and crafts outlets and shops.

As a destination for the outdoors enthusiast, the Forest of Dean is the perfect. There are a fantastic variety of leisure and adventure activities including, canoeing on the River Wye, cycling through the heart of the forest, hiking or for the more adventurous zip-wiring through the trees like Tarzan! Golf and fishing are widely catered for.  Climbing Symonds Yat Rock is a well-known activity and climbers are rewarded with one of the best views in the country. It is an excellent climbing venue and there are climbs for all abilities. Underneath the limestone of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley lay fantastic rock formations in a subterranean world that is open for exploration at various points.

Wildlife

The Royal Forest of Dean is famous for its large population of free roaming sheep of many breeds and include welsh mountain, speckled faced or cheviots with the occasional Kerry or ryeland.  These sheep graze courtesy of ancient rights given to residents of the area.

In Norman times, the Forest was a game reserve where red, roe and fallow deer as well as wild boar were hunted. All these species were gone by the 14^th century along with their natural predator the wolf.  Today, only fallow deer and occasional roe deer is spotted. Wild boars were illegally released in recent times to the Forest and number a population of around one hundred. Conservationists claim it is the rightful habitat for the wild boar while others think them a pest. Their fate is as yet undecided!

Badgers and other native wildlife inhabit the forest and it would be usual to find squirrels, dormice, foxes, voles, hedgehogs, and rabbits. There are several types of protected bats within the Forest of Dean including pipistrelle, noctule, and long-eared bat most commonly.

The Forest of Dean contains a typical mix of nesting birds, associated with woodland of this type. There are some more unusual sightings such as pairs of ravens, dippers and the pied flycatcher. Mandarin ducks migrate between different lakes in the Forest and most unusually for ducks, nest in trees.

Springtime is a perfect time to visit the Forest of Dean, when the new beech is brilliant green and the blues and yellows of bluebells and daffodils make a spectacular show.  The orchards are pink and white with pear, apple, and plum blossom and there is a fresh smell in the air and a hint of warmer days to come. Natural wildflowers to look out for are celandine, primrose, violet, wood anemone, and dog’s mercury.

The Forest of Dean and surrounding areas hold many surprises and opportunities to take part in some unusual past times in these ancient woodlands, which are full of surprises waiting to be discovered.

Cottage dwellers in days gone by would have been quite self sufficient in fruits and vegetables and herbs for cooking and for medicine.

The cottage garden would have been of an all together more practical nature than the chocolate box vision we have. Nevertheless, colour and a higgledy-piggledy layout of flowerbeds, shrubs, and winding footpaths is still an easily recognisable feature today. Gloucestershire is one county that takes pride in its gardens and there are still plenty of these old style gardens to be seen.

The real birth of the country cottage garden was in the Tudor period. This was a period of great exploration and global trade was flourishing with new plants and herbs arriving from the Orient and Mediterranean. These new plants sparked an interest in gardening for pleasure and while cottage dwellers were not wealthy and had to be thrifty, they tended to grow more hardy plants and an array of all plant types were common. Annuals, perennials, vegetables, vines, small shrubs, and fruit trees were grown.

The cottage garden reached its height of popularity in the Victorian era as high levels of trade (and wealth) combined with far reaching global exploration resulted in a plethora of new plant species. Garden designers of the time took the humble cottage garden and designed it on a grand scale for the not-so-humble country estate gardens.

A family would live off the produce from the garden and extra seasonal fruit and vegetables would be preserved as jams or chutneys some eaten and some sold at local market fair days. In many larger cottage gardens there would be a house cow, a pig and chickens making a half acre or so sufficient for a family to live off. Hops and flowers would be dried for scent and powdered for medicinal purposes.

Every county has its own flower as an emblem. While we do not know who allocated them, it is nice to know the county flower of Gloucestershire is the Wild Daffodil. Narcissus pseudonarcissus (Wild Daffodil or Lent lily) is a perennial flowering plant, which grows from a bulb. It has pale yellow flowers with a darker central trumpet and the most delicious fresh scent reminiscent of its springtime flowering. The long, narrow leaves are slightly greyish in colour and rise from the base of the stem.

In modern times, the English cottage garden has not lost its appeal, but is quite labour intensive. However, there is nothing more pleasant than sitting in the garden and listening to bird song and enjoying the beauty and scent of the flowers. An amble through the Gloucestershire villages and countryside will show that in this part of the world, cottage gardens have not gone out of fashion and there are some breathtaking gardens to be seen at people’s homes as you wander by. Cooks Green Holiday Cottage has a nice big garden surrounded by miles of beautiful countryside.

Cadbury World gives you free chocolate as you go through the entrance gates. This is an extremely good idea!

The exhibition takes the form of a self-guided tour, which takes as long as you want but three hours is plenty of time to see everything at your own pace. The tour is easy to follow and has a one-way system that keeps things moving. You can spend as much time as you need in each of the zones. Zone 1 is the Aztec Jungle, which is a little dark and spooky for some children. It takes you back 1000 years to Mexico for a walk through the jungle to discover how central to Mayan culture the cocoa tree was.

Zone 2 is called The Journey to Europe and a 3-D presentation shows how a Spanish Galleon brought back the beans that would become the basis of the most popular drink in high society. Bull Street where the John Cadbury had his first shop is displayed in Zone 3 and in Zone 4, the Cadbury story from early times to the development of Cadbury World is told with informative and educational films.

Zone 5 in Cadbury World brings you chocolate making in a small special effects cinema, which is great fun but also warns of things that may just move. It is scary in a good fun way. In Zone 6 and 7 it is all about Manuacturing and Packaging Plant. Cadbury World is not a factory tour but you can see some of the equipment that is used. The packaging plant is not always operational but when it is, it is fascinating to see chocolate bars being wrapped and whizzing around conveyor belts. You also receive More Free Chocolate at this point!

Cadbara, which is Zone 8 in Cadbury World, is a gentle frolic in your own Beanmobile car that takes you on a journey through a wonderland of child friendly chocolate characters. Tempting to stay on board the little cars, Zone 9 beckons with some real hands on fun. The Demonstration Area allows you to try writing your name in chocolate.

Cadbury’s advertising down through the years has always been clever, iconic, and memorable. Zone 10 takes you on a trip down memory lane and you can nostalgically look back at your favourite advertisements.

Cadbury World’s Purple Planet in Zone 11 is a kick back place where kids will love the interactive experiences

The gift shop rises up to greet you where if you are not sick of the sight of chocolate (as if!) you can purchase chocolate and Cadbury souvenirs of your visit from the biggest Cadbury shop in the world! Rounding off the experience is Zone 12 called essence. Just a small attraction it offers More Free Chocolate – this time warm liquid chocolate in a pot with your choice of treat including shortbread and mini marshmallows.

Finally, Zone 13 is a historical attraction about the Bournville Village, which is fascinating for its ethos and forward thinking design.

Cadbury World is a fun attraction with plenty of Free Chocolate and highly recommended. Cadbury World is easy to reach via the M42 and M5 with plenty of parking.

Most hot air balloon adventures begin or end with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine to celebrate your flight. It will be the darkest hour before dawn when you gather for your pre-launch briefing and the sunrise hours are when the winds are at their most gentle for ballooning. Some hot air balloon operators offer a night into day experience where you take off in the dark and watch the sunrise from your airborne position or alternatively take off at sunrise and watch the world wake up below you.

Passengers are encouraged to help with the inflation of the balloon, unfolding it, and laying it out on the launch site. Firstly, the balloon is inflated with cold air and then the trickiest part of ballooning takes place – climbing into the basket or gondola. There are foot holes in the side to climb into the basket but it is not a very elegant way of embarking a mode of transport.

Usually two guy-ropes attached the basket are also attached to the chase vehicle that follows the balloon as far as possible by road. The burners to heat the air in the balloon are noisy and when the air is sufficiently heated the guy ropes are dropped away and the balloon effortlessly ascends from the ground. The launch is so smooth and gentle you are hardly aware of the distance growing between you and terra firma.

As the balloon is at the mercy of air currents, your voyage can take you anywhere although the pilot can dictate some sense of direction and adjust the height of the balloon. As the balloon gains height it is an incredible feeling to see a 360-degree panoramic view spread out all around you. Balloons can fly at 1500 to 2000 feet, and some can fly at 5000 feet, depending on prevailing airspace restrictions.

Over the Gloucestershire countryside, you will see the precise patterns made by the stone walls and trees and enjoy the beauty of the pastoral scene as you drift over villages and gentle rolling hills. On a clear day just like in the song, you can see forever or if not forever, the taller buildings in cities yonder in the distance. You notice the peace and stillness, there is no sense of movement in the balloon just a feeling of lazily drifting with the blue sky above, and as you climb higher, you are literally floating above the world. It is surprisingly warm with the occasional heat from the burners when they are operated. Otherwise, all is noiseless and peaceful. Most pilots have great knowledge of flying as well as of the area you are flying over and will keep you occupied pointing out places of interest down below. Once in a while a pilot will drop the balloon and fly low skimming over the tops of trees to give you another view before the burners re-heat the air to take you sky bound again.

Part of the beauty of hot air ballooning is the unpredictability of where you may land and what your flight path will be, but there is no need to worry as your chase vehicle will be there at the landing site to take you back to the rendezvous point. Sometimes on landing, the gondola can be dragged sideways and this is perfectly normal, passengers have rope handles and safe seats to sit on, although some find it part of the thrill of ballooning. Mostly, the balloon lands gracefully and softly and you do not realise you are down.

Time for yet more champagne then!

Beautiful Ploughman's image courtesy of the delectible Lavender and Lovage

Gloucester has always been a large cheese making area and was originally made from the milk of Cotswold Sheep. In the 1400’s the production rates were so high that a permanent market was set up at Eastgate Street in the City of Gloucester. This is still the site of Gloucester’s indoor market today.

By the time of the Tudors, cow’s milk had replaced sheep milk which came from Old Gloucester cows whose milk was ideal for cheese making with small fat globules that made a fine even textured cheese. A cattle plague decimated the breed and Longhorn cattle were introduced. Gloucester cheese production in 1789 was more than 1000 tonnes.
 
There are two types of Gloucester cheese – Double and Single. Various stories exist as to how the two cheeses differ. It was likely to be that the Double Gloucester cheese had double handling with cream from the morning milk added to the evening milk as Gloucester cow’s milk has to be skimmed twice as the cream rises so slowly. 

Single Gloucester was made from the partially skimmed milk remaining. There are still a few makers producing Single Gloucester – Charles Martell, Smart’s, Godsell’s Church Farm and Wick Court Cheese. They also make Double Gloucester. This Single Gloucester is an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese and may only be described as Single Gloucester if it is made in the county with milk from Gloucester Cows. The farms where these cheeses are made can be visited so go along and have a taste of the cheeses and bring some home for lunch.
 
Double Gloucester cheese is now made in many parts of the UK both on farms and in large dairies. It has a characteristic light orange hue is given by the addition of annatto to the milk.
 
Flavour levels depend on the age of the cheese. As it matures Double Gloucester becomes very hard and this may be one of the reasons why it is associated with the annual cheese rolling event at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester. It is said that buyers of Double and Single Gloucester would often jump up and down on the cheese to assess its grade and suitability.
 
The beautiful cider produced in Gloucestershire is no surprise as Gloucestershire is home to over 100 unique apple varieties. One particular cider apple the “Hagloe Crab” was so renowned for the quality of cider it produced that a barrel of apples could be exchanged for a barrel of Brandy!

Gloucestershire was the birthplace of in-bottle fermentation or ‘méthode champenoise’, the technique used to this day for Champagne production, records of method predate any found in France by some 50 years. The sparkling varieties of cider are as exquisite as any fine wines and ideal to go with your delicious summer “Ploughman’s”.

Jemmy inherited the bank from his grandfather who had founded it. The bank was one of the oldest private banks in Britain, surviving the financial turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars when many other banks went out of business. Different from what we would expect today, Jemmy ran the bank from his drapers shop with only two clerks. His policy was clear and simple – he paid no interest on deposits of less than one year. He kept counterfeit coins on the counter to warn customers not to attempt to fob him off with fake money. The bank was taken over by the County of Gloucester Banking Company in 1838, becoming part of Lloyds Bank in 1897. Jemmy also owned an undertaking business and extensive land in and around the City of Gloucester. Many stories abound of Jemmy’s miserliness, but how many are true is anybody’s guess.

It is rumoured he would wear the same clothes for years and would visit Gloucester Docks to fill his pockets with pieces of coal that fell from the boats. On a journey to London, his travelling companion made fun of Jemmy’s worn out clothes to which Jemmy bet the man £5.00 he could withdraw £100,000 from the bank when they reached London. On arrival in London Jemmy proved it was true and took the £5.00 from the disbelieving fellow. He would walk rather than pay the price of a carriage and legend has it he travelled laid in the back of a hearse from Tewkesbury rather than part with one penny for transport. He gained national fame from these tales, was caricatured, and had Toby Jugs and Staffordshire figurines made of him. His features were perfect for parody as his profile of protruding chin and nose, and sloping forehead, made him prime fodder.

Jemmy never appears in lists of Gloucester city benefactors despite serving as City Sheriff for 1811 and 1813, and as an Alderman from 1820 until his death. It is said he did not become Mayor because of the expense of the job. He did love to spend others money and in 1818, 47 people dined at the city’s expense at a dinner given for the Duke of Gloucester at which they ate a turtle weighing 150 lbs given to the city by Lord Howard.

It is said that Jemmy Wood was Charles Dickens inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. There is another character called “Dismal Jemmy” in The Pickwick Papers and Jemmy Wood of Gloucester is mentioned in Our Mutual Friend. The court case of Jarndyce vs Jarndyce in Bleak House is speculated to have been based on the case that arose following irregularities in Wood’s will, although the court system of the time was so slow and expensive there are a number of other possible cases on which Jarndyce could have been based.

Jemmy died in 1836 and was buried in St Mary de Crypt Church in Gloucester where there is a gravestone to his memory in the chancel. The crowd at his funeral reportedly “…evinced a levity of demeanour inconsistent with the solemnity of the occasion” and stoned his coffin.

There is a small painting at the Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery, so why not go along and visit Jemmy and gaze upon the likeness of the real Scrooge.

Coming up in May we’ve got Cheltenham Jazz Festival. One of Cheltenham’s main annual festivals, this really is a treat for music lovers and is one the highlights of the European jazz calendar.

With the likes of Paloma Faith, Bill Frisell, Jeff Williams, John Tayor and Jamie Cullum about the place, the Barclays Cheltenham Jazz Festival really is an unmissable date for anyone in to jazz music. At the festival you will find some really special one off collaborations, some great British jazz stars and some the freshest new sounds in jazz.

The Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2012 kicks off on Wednesday 2nd May and last until Monday 7th May, with venues across Cheltenham being used. To book your tickets call Cheltenham’s Town Hall box office on 01242 505 444.

And of course, if you’re looking for accommodation for the festival you’ve come to the right place. Cooks Green Holiday Cottage is in an ideal location, just 14km from the centre of Cheltenham, and set in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside.

Contact us now to book in to Cooks Green Holiday Cottage for the Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2012.