A Hat Trick of Awards for Harrop Fold!

Cheshire Tourism Annual Awards 2008 - The Winners!

Self Catering Holiday of the Year 2008 ~

Mellow Brook Cottage at Harrop Fold Farm

The judge said;



“This was the only self-catering unit we saw with a special magic – nothing to do with plasma tv screens etc, more to do with imaginative restoration of the cottage, making the most of natural materials and beautiful simplicity.”



We all had simply the most exciting night last Friday at the beautiful Chester Racecourse. Visit Chester and Cheshire put on the most glamourous Awards ceremony which was organised by the happy and lovely Nicola Said and her very able team. Harrop Fold was shortlisted for 4 awards - yes! 4 awards! - B&B of the Year, Tourism Experience of the Year, Self Catering Holiday of the Year and Taste of Cheshire. We won the first 2 in 2006 and 2007 and are totally delighted to win the Self-Catering Holiday Award this year.



How wonderful it is to be rewarded for all the thought and consideration we all really do put into the business to ensure our guests have a truly memorable time...from David's vision in building the barn and his unbelievable skill in keeping the barn true to its character - so many guests comment on the original plough 'bit' and the horse harness found under the hay when beginning the conversion - to Leah offering the finest local produce - to Helen and I 'charring' and making the cottage look welcoming to guests. And of course, Edward's lawn mowering and weeding skills! and must not miss out Alice's and George's help in the holidays. All in all a damn fine Team!

...and of course this gives us entry to the North West Development Agency Award's Ceremony in October, and we all just love that night too!

All this celebrating and more lovely guests to care for gave us an exhausting weekend! Bollington celebrated the Cheshire Year of the Gardens 08 with its wonderful Floating Garden Festival on Sunday where we all gathered to wave off Bollington's own floating garden to wind its way over to Middlewich - what tremendous weather the crew will have enjoyed.

Speaking of the weather, it is fantastic, David and I had a stroll on Monday evening to pick more rhubarb for our jams and enjoyed a quiet few moments watching the sunset and the view was so clear we could see right over the Cheshire Plain to the Welsh Mountains.

The lovely weather is encouraging the wildlife to 'perform well' for our guests, our visitors in Mellow Brook Cottage have been treated on several evenings to playful visits from the badgers and on one occasion this beautiful creature was so close he could have been touched! This morning the Kites are to be seen soaring over the bottom meadow.

Waxing lyrical about nature is not going to help with this morning's jobs. We have an art course running and I have cakes to bake and lunch to prepare - so off to the Aga I must go, first on the list is preparing some Cheshire beetroot, which I think I will make into soup, it always looks so fantastic being such an incredible colour and with a dollop of contrasting Delamere Creamed Cheese tastes divine...feeling peckish now too!

Speak soon.

Love, Sue x