Visiting the Didsbury Bug Hotel

One of my favourite places to go for one of my regular walks is Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens in Didsbury, not least because I can pop into the cafe for a pot of tea and a big wedge of cake while I’m out. This week whilst I was walking through the park I spied this, the Didsbury Bug Hotel.

The sign reads…

Find twigs, pine cones, leaves or bark around the park and add it to our bug hotel to look after all our mini beasts!

I thought this was a fantastic idea to encourage kids and families to do a little bit for nature and to learn more about the insects we have in the UK.

Apparently the average garden is home to over 2,000 different species of insects, some of these bugs are essential for helping to control the pests which eat our flowers, fruit and vegetables, some like bumblebees pollinate our plants who are in decline, so by building the Didsbury Bug Hotel we can contribute to their conservation.

I was incredibly excited to see the hotel pop up and I couldn’t wait to take the small boy out to see it at the weekend. Sadly by the time weekend had come around and we’d got to the park, the Didsbury Bug Hotel was gone. Vandals (for want of a better word) had burnt it down and I felt incredibly angry about that.

At home in our own garden I’m trying to create a space which encourages wildlife to thrive. Planting flowers which bees and butterflies love and we’ve got some bird feeders up for the local bird life. I think we’ll have to create out own little Didsbury Bug Hotel, it might not be as big as the one in Fletcher Moss, but it’s a small thing that we can do together to help our local insect population.

Gift Guide: A Very Mancunian Christmas

It’s widely documented that I hate Christmas shopping, I shun huge shops and enormous shopping centres. I much prefer pottering around small shops and markets and at a push doing an online shop. As a Mancunian and owner of a small, home based business it makes huge sense to me to support my fellow entrepreneur where I can. So here’s my round up of fabulous things to buy for Mancunians this Christmas…

The Manchester Bee Company
The Worker Bee is the symbol of Manchester and its industrial heritage (hive of industry). The Worker Bee symbol is all over the city, from the beautiful mosaic floor of Manchester Town Hall to simple street furniture. The ManBeeCo range includes mugs, cards and prints – all available online. They also pop up at various markets across the city with beautiful crochet and knitted cushions and hats as well as their brilliant bee products. Proper Manc.

MOSI Manchester Collection
The Manchester collection from MOSI is a lovely typographic range of gifts inspired by Manchester’s proud industrial and cultural heritage. Gifts start at £10 for a Mug, £12 for the tea towel collection and £20 each for the adult T-shirt, tote bag and cushion. It’s all pretty gorgeous and would make for a great present proud Mancs like me.

Drop Dead Chocolates
We love these chocolates. There’s something to suit all tastes and budgets. They’re a bit special, not available in the shops and probably the best chocolates I’ve ever had. I love their salted caramel chocolates which are beyond amazing. They’re letter-box friendly so they’re perfect and convenient if you need a speedy delivery.

Duerr’s Manchester Marmalade
Specially made for Mancs (and only available in Greater Manchester) this is a firm set, fine shred, bitter marmalade for proper grown ups. I love it, it was first made in the 1950s and since then they’ve updated and slightly sweetened the recipe, but fear not, if you’re a proper marmalade fan then this is a proper marmalade. It would be great in a little homemade hamper of proper Manc goodies, available in Tesco stores across Greater Manchester.

Harriet & Dee
If like me you’re a Didsbury local, then you’ll love the specially commissioned Didsbury Christmas baubles, only available from Harriet & Dee in Didsbury, South Manchester. These beautiful baubles are just £10 each and you can choose from The Clock Tower, Didsbury Library or The Eagle Gate at Parsonage Gardens. The baubles are a lovely thing for any Didsburyite to hang on their tree.

Red Box Inc
Another Didsbury business who I love, Red Box Inc have a range of products you can personalise with your company or personal message, including coffee & latte mugs, tote shopping bags, mouse mats, coasters, uniforms, t-shirts, work-wear, sports & leisure wear & more. They can personalise mugs and other products with family photos or your children’s drawings from just £8 for a mug.

So whatever your buy Our Kid for Christmas. Keep it Manc. Sorted.

Pamper Me! A warm bamboo massage at HealthySpirit

Pre-baby I was a bit of a massage addict. I love facials and pampering and being pummelled into blissful relaxation. Then the small boy came along and suddenly there didn’t seem to be time for me, just when I needed that time for me most. This will not do, so I booked a warm bamboo massage at HealthySpirit in Didsbury, Manchester and readied myself for 75 minutes of bliss.

I arrived and Stephanie (my therapist) gave me a little tour and led me into the Crystal Room. The Crystal Room is where most of their treatments are done, it’s a lovely warm, comfortable room. The lights are kept reasonably low; pleasant, restful music plays in the background, sometimes they burn oils to enhance the experience.

We sat down and ran through my medical form, due to my back surgeries last year I am always cautious and explain what can and can’t happen with my back during treatments. Stephanie was great and reassured me that any pressure around my surgical site would be minimal. She then asked me to take my clothes off and get comfortable on the massage table, she left the room for a few minutes while I did this and while I got settled on the table.

Stephanie made sure I was warm and comfortable before she began, she asked what kind of oils I liked and then applied a relaxing blend of neroli, lavender and sweet orange mixed with the sweet almond oil carrier. The scent immediately started to relax me. She then started to massage my back, shoulders and neck using the warmed bamboo sticks.

The sticks are quite warm, but in a soothing way, they’re not quite as hot as a hot stone massage, but definitely warm enough to sooth and relax the muscles they’re rubbed on. I could definitely feel the muscles in my too-tense shoulders relaxing as the treatment went on.

Stephanie checked on me regularly, ensuring that the bamboo was the right temperature, that I was comfortable and not in any pain. Although it was a relaxing massage, the heat and pressure from the bamboo meant that the massage was deeper than it felt, which is a good thing.

Stephanie really worked at the knots in my shoulders, working her way down my body. She spent some time massaging my calf muscles, apparently we hold a lot of emotional tension there, and it’s no surprise to me that they needed some extra work.

The incredibly restful treatment ended with a lovely face and scalp massage, I’d drifted off a few times during the treatment, but this is where I did actually nod off. After 75 minutes of bliss I was left to relax, wake myself up gently and get dressed. I felt utterly relaxed but energised, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

The warm bamboo massage is innovative treatment which is said to aid lymph drainage, promote restful sleep, help sensory nerve perception and provide stress relief. It really is the best treatment I’ve had in a very long time, I’ll be booking myself in for another before Christmas, because I’m worth it.

The warm bamboo massage at HealthySpirit is £45 for a 75 minute treatment, which I think is exceptional value.

Note: I was given this treatment free of charge for review purposes, all images and opinions expressed are my own.

Didsbury in Bloom 2014

Didsbury is a fine old part of the world. It’s often referred to in somewhat sneering tones as “leafy Didsbury” because, well, it’s a particularly leafy suburb of Manchester. Today the RHS Britain in Bloom judges came and inspected the little village where I’ve spent my entire life.

Last year the judges were very pleased with the efforts of our local team of dedicated green-fingered volunteers, so much so Didsbury won gold. As far as I’m aware the judges look around the village at the planters and displays, taking in the Jubilee Gardens on the corner near Cafe Nero and then make their way down the road where we live, because (and I say this without a hint of smugness, honest) it’s a very pretty road, it has a small green at the top, it overlooks fields and leads down to the river. It’s very nearly countryside, nearly.

Today the sun shone. The road had been swept. Plants watered and deadheaded, it looked beautiful, so out came my camera to capture the moment. So for your floral pleasure may I present Didsbury in Bloom 2014: Ford lane.

This year celebrates 50 years of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition, hence the rather stunning display on the green.

As a resident, I’d like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make Didsbury beautiful year round, but especially for occasions like this. Fingers crossed we do well again this year!

The Stoker’s Arms – Didsbury

We were invited guests of The Stokers Arms and were not asked to pay for our food.

Note: The Stokers Arms closed in 2021.

Today was a very Good Friday (see what I did there). Not only did I manage a 9am lie in, but I also got to amble over to The Stoker’s Arms in Didsbury for their soft opening. I went with my chum Liz, aka Things To Do In Manchester and I was pretty keen to check out the latest Didsbury opening.

It’s where O’Neills used to be, but they’ve completely ripped out the old faux-Irish interior and replaced it with a lovely, eclectic mix of comfy furniture and they’ve brightened the whole place up. The bar is pretty huge and looks like it’ll be able to cope when it’s three deep on a Saturday night.

But we really went to try the food. At first glance there didn’t seem to be much on for vegetarians, but I was told that there would be plenty coming up in the next few weeks as the menu evolves. We ordered a round of G&Ts and gave the menu a proper once over.

I ordered the soup of the day, which on this day was a tomato and red pepper, served with a warm wedge of bread and a pat of salty butter. Liz went for the salt and pepper squid. I loved my soup, it was hearty and robust and had I been in the comfort of my own home I probably would have licked the bowl clean. Liz enjoyed her squid, which was perfectly cooked but she thought could do with a bit more punch in the seasoning.

I ordered the vegetarian gnocchi, but it turned out there was none left in the kitchen, so I went for the as yet not mentioned on the menu, lentil and bean burger, served with coleslaw and fries. Liz had the pork and chorizo burger topped with extra pulled pork, which again came with fries.

I’m often really disappointed with veggie burgers, they can be really bland, but this was lovely, full of lentils and with a gentle tickle of spice, I’d very cheerfully order it again, in fact my mouth is watering while I’m typing this…always a good sign.

We’d both consumed two hearty courses, so naturally we decided to have pudding. We decided to share a salted caramel and chocolate tart, which came with a dollop of clotted cream. It was amazing. I have a serious salted caramel habit and this was a particularly fine example. The top of the tart was scattered with salt crystals and it was unctuous and just divine. It’s worth visiting just to have that tart.

The food was really good value. They do a three course fixed price menu which is a bargain at just £11. It’s not shonky pub-grub either. I couldn’t find any mention of scampi and chips!

They have a decent list of gins and whiskeys and a good range of draught and bottled beers and ciders. I reckon The Stoker’s Arms will be finding its way onto my list of preferred local watering holes.

The Stoker’s Arms is located at 655-657 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RA

Disclaimer: We were invited guests of The Stoker’s Arms and we weren’t asked to pay for any of our food or drink. However, these are as ever my honest thoughts and opinions.

Didsbury Bake Off

It’s been a funny old day. One minute I’m perusing stalls at the Didsbury Craft Fair, the next I’m being roped into helping to judge the Didsbury Bake Off competition. Nice work if you can get it I’m sure.

I ambled into the judging tent to say hello and lend moral support to local cake-eating expert and foodie blogger Liz. I then ended up joining her and fellow judges – local chef and food hero Robert Owen Brown; Emma Caine from Heatons Cakes; actress Tina O’Brien and local businesswoman, telly star and local gad-about Sian Astley.

There were over 40 entries in total across the various categories and we tried everything from jam and chutney, brownies, biscuits and buns to epic and beautiful show-stoppers. Here are some pictures to give you a flavour of the day.

General cakery. The rose cupcakes (pink) and the parma violet cupcakes were something else!

three tier cake — This was the show-stopping winner of the 12-17 year old category.

If you fancy having a go and entering a local bake-off yourself then follow Heatons Cakes on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled, they’re organising one as part of The Heatons Summer Festival on Sunday 22nd June 2014.

Well done Didsbury Bakers!

The Day CBeebies visited Playgroup

Yesterday CBeebies came to film at our playgroup bringing the very lovely Alex Winters with them. Alex was so lovely, all the children loved him, some of them were a little starstruck, some of them recognised him but couldn’t quite place him, but he was lovely, normal, unstarry and lots of fun. My son just kept pointing at him and saying “Beebies man”.

Alex Winters CBeebies — Alex Winters chats to the children at playgroup. My monkey is modelling the paper hat!

Alex “worked the room” but then settled himself down at the craft table. The children were making woolly sheep with cotton wool. He did several pieces to camera and chatted with the children in between takes.

Alex was filming a series of information films for the CBeebies grown ups website. The segments he filmed with us were about doing craft activities with your child. He explained about how beneficial sticking and glueing and throwing glitter everywhere is to their development.

Some of the Mums and Dads were then taken to a separate room to be interviewed about doing craft activities with their children. I think everyone enjoyed meeting Alex and we all had fun making our woolly sheep. I think there will be disappointed faces when he’s not there next week!

Look out for the film on the CBeebies website over the next few weeks.

Note: I had permission from the parents of the children pictured to use these pictures, some did ask that I blanked their faces out, thus allowing me to show off my very mediocre photo-editing skills.

Gusto, Didsbury Review

I’m a Didsbury girl through and through. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve seen many changes. I remember Gusto when it was Est Est Est (yes, I am that old) and it has always been a local, neighbourhood eatery, a restaurant for all occasions and for none.

I love that when you go in there’ll be a table celebrating a birthday, a few couples on their first or fiftieth date or just people who fancied a good meal. You don’t have to dress up to go there, or you can dress up to the nines, whichever. It’s so relaxed with very little pretention.

I’ve been itching to review Gusto since I started blogging and I was pretty sure we’d be in for a good night with some great food.

We were seated next to their open kitchen. I love sitting there watching the hustle and bustle and the quiet concentration of the chefs, it can get a bit warm up that end of the restaurant in the summer, but on a drizzly February evening it was just the ticket.

We ordered a bottle of Italian red, a very acceptable Feudi d’Albe Montepulciano. It was easy drinking and matched our food beautifully.

To start, Matthew, my long suffering husband ordered the mussels in white white, garlic and cream served with ciabatta. He was cock-a-hoop over this dish. He reckons mussels are a good way to judge a restaurant. If the mussels are prepped properly and the sauce without grit you know kitchen standards are going to be alright. He loved the tender mussels and the rich, flavoursome sauce. They smelt incredible, even to my vegetarian nostrils. He’ll be having those again.

I opted for the Burratina mozzarella cheese, slow roasted beetroot and herb wafers. This was undoubtedly the prettiest thing I’ve ever eaten. The mozzarella was soft and yielding, beautifully creamy, it almost sighed as I ate it. It was well matched against the tang of the beetroot, with the crunch of the herb wafers adding a welcome contrast of texture.

My only moment of pickiness was I wasn’t keen on the crunchy seeds mixed in with the beetroot, I’d’ve preferred them on the side, but that’s a personal preference. It was a delightfully light start to the meal.

On to the mains and I chose the Rigatoni Primavera which was rigatoni, butternut squash, celeriac, carrot, cabbage, green beans, pine nuts and cream. Being a real vegetarian the waitress kindly offered to get me the vegetarian Parmesan instead of the standard non-veggie one. This was one of those lovely, attention to detail touches that really make the difference in terms of customer service.

The Rigatoni Primavera was a well executed dish with the pasta being just a nudge over al dente. The vegetables were tasty and the celeriac was sweet and tender and I could’ve eaten a big dish of that alone. The green beans added crunch, it was a lovely rich, wintery pasta dish.

My carnivorous husband went for the pan roast breast of duck, balsamic shallot tartlette with red wine and beetroot reduction with sides of buttered savoy cabbage and pine nuts and a dish of lovely crispy baked garlic and rosemary roast potatoes.

The duck was pink with perfectly rendered fat, he said it was about the best duck he’s ever eaten. The shallot tartlette was sweet, unctuous and the pastry crisp and golden. The red wine and beetroot reduction (which I had a little dib-dab at with my finger) was sweet and I’m told worked well with the duck.

The sides which I ably assisted in the consumption of were lovely. I adore cabbage so there was a little battle of the quickest fork going on between us. The potatoes were hot, crispy and garlicky. We loved them (I was so inspired by them I knocked up something similar to go with Sunday lunch).

The portion sizes were just greedy enough to make us feel nicely full, but still magically have room for pudding. I plumped for the Bombolini, homemade mini doughnuts with chocolate sauce and cream. These arrived piping hot, sprinkled with sugar with a pot of melted chocolate and a dollop of cream on the side. These were amazing, far, far superior to the hot doughnuts you get in huts by the seaside, altogether classier and if I’m honest I’ve thought about little else since I ate them.

My companion chose the hot chocolate and hazelnut brownie with pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce. As is the law I scoffed a couple of mouthfuls of the warm, moist brownie. The pistachio ice cream was a bit special too. Definitely a contender for brownie of the year.

We rounded off our meal with a Godfather cocktail each. We’d had an exceptionally delightful, laid back, fun evening; with three courses of excellent food, a bottle of good wine, with attentive and considerate service and all just five minutes walk from our house. Perfection.

Gusto, Didsbury can be found at 756 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DW Tel: 0161 445 8209

Disclaimer: We were invited guests of the restaurant and ate for free in return for our honest review.

A New School for Didsbury

A little while ago I blogged my support for the bid to create a new free School in Didsbury. I know free schools have had a mixed reception, but there is some evidence that run well free schools can be an excellent asset to the community.

I have high hopes for Didsbury CE Free School, for a start it’ll be run by the team who run the massively successful and horribly oversubscribed Didsbury CofE (also known locally as Elm Grove).

In 2013 Didsbury CofE had 180 applications for just 30 places in their reception class. What we do know about the new school is that it will be two-form entry which will massively alleviate pressure on all the schools in Didsbury.

Didsbury CofE has been a part of Didsbury for 400 years and generations of my family attended the school, some of their names are on a memorial plaque dedicated to former pupils who died in WW1. It is an integral part of the community and a place that means a lot to me.

Not everyone wants their child to go to a church school, but some do, in fact there are quite a lot of us who do want our children to go to a church school and that’s our choice. It’s not that they’ll get the bible rammed down their throats, because I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s going to happen. What I am pretty sure about is that my son, should he be lucky enough to go to our local CofE school, will be taught to be polite, considerate and mindful of the world around him. Yes of course he gets that at home, but to me manners and respect are everything.

As for religion and religious education, they state that the school is open to, and welcomes children and families of all faiths and none, with their intake reflecting the religious and cultural demographic of the surrounding area. Which is as it should be.

I’m excited about the new school, I’m excited about the possibilities it’ll bring to Didsbury and the difference it will make within the community. It’s just exciting.

Apparently the bid for the school received the most amount of positive support for a new free school in the country, they don’t know where it’ll be located yet, the Department for Education will decide that, but it will be in Didsbury and it will be for me at least, an exciting and positive step forward for families like mine.

The school will open in September 2015.

You can find out more about the school and its ethos on their website and by following the Free School on Facebook and Twitter for updates and further information.

Shop Local #SmallBizSatUK

Today (Saturday 7th of December) is Small Business Saturday. We shouldn’t need it, and to my mind it’s a sad indictment of our nations shopping habits; but today is a day when we’re all encouraged to shop local and indeed celebrate our brilliant local shops. I’ve previously blogged about how much I love my local high street and feel I need to get behind this day of days too.

For some that’ll be hugely difficult; the enormous behemoth out of town shopping centres will have rendered their high streets barren and their shops boarded up and empty.

I know how hard it can be to make the effort to shop local, especially as Christmas approaches and it’s really tempting to just go to a huge megastore and heap everything into a trolley and have done with it. I used to do that, but the last few years, I’ve preferred to spend my money locally in the knowledge that I’m helping to provide local jobs and support businesses in my community.

Did you know that for every £100 spent in local independent shops around £48 is ploughed back into your community, whereas for huge supermarkets and the like, it’s only £13.

For the lucky folk of south Manchester, in particular the good people of Didsbury we are blessed with some amazing independent shops and businesses. I know a few local shops have embraced the day, here’s what I’ve garnered from Twitter, Google and local gossip.

Giddy Goat Toys – Mince pies, stollen cake, Kids Lucky Dip, your fave Christmas tunes playing & some very awesome toys
Airyfairy Cupcakes – A free cupcake with any purchase, open 10am-5pm
The Flower Lounge – A free gift for customers visiting the shop on Saturday
Harriet & Dee – A free gift with every purchase as a thank you to thier lovely customers

I urge you to shop local, especially this Christmas. It’ll give you a nice warm, fuzzy feeling, I promise.