Corsets, cakes & kaleidoscope colours... the evocative prints of Horrockses at Shambellie House

We are incredibly lucky to have the Shambellie National Museum of Costume on our doorstep. Although we live in a wonderful rural location I am always amazed by the diversity of historic, cultural and artistic events on offer and Shambellie never fails to deliver. 

I love an afternoon there spent either in the house or the atmospheric grounds and have visited many times. You are always assured a warm welcome by the attentive helpful team there. The house and grounds alone are well worth a visit with rhodedendrons and a variety of trees and shrubs  

Shambellie House and grounds - from the driveway

This particular trip was prompted by their current exhibition 'Off the Peg: Fashion form the 40s and 50s'  focusing on the fashion label Horrockses.

Horrockses Fashions was known for their off-the-peg labels of the 1940s and 1950s. They gained a reputation for practicality and glamour combined with easy-care fabrics. I loved the bold prints and crisp cottons with founcy skirts the exhibition made me think of summer. Horrockses maintained an air of exclusivity producing about a 1000 of each style, using good quality fabrics, mostly cotton, custom-designed patterns, and great styling.

There is an extensive range of  Horrockses designs on display

 

The exhibition is very evocative: pass me my gloves, headscarf and Audrey Hepburn sunglasses! It features an extensive range of  Horrockses designs on display: the rooms were a veritable kaleidoscope of colour, a visual feast for fashionistas, designers or artists and beautifully lit. Not simply an excuse for fond nostalgia, the exhibition captivates even the youngsters among us: the myriad of styles, colours and patterns fascinated a 10 year old in our party who was wide-eyed to learn that 'Grannie' wore these frocks as a girl. (No, not us.... Grannie!)

Shambellie House form the West including the fabulous wicker sculpture

We had a great day out including lunch in the charming painted wood panelled Tea Room. Homemade soup, cakes and a proper coffee were our choice, they were very tasty and the prices were very reasonable. The museum has a permanent exhibition of Victorian and 20th Century fashion, there is even an opportunity to play at dressing up. We had a laugh trying on the corsets, I managed to reduce my waistline by 1", a major feat, but I nearly passed out in the process. Should not of had that extra slice of cake in the cafe!

Whirling Dervish living sculpture by Trevor Leat - in the grounds of Shambellie House 

The exhibition and Museum is open  1 April - 31 October 2012
Cost: Free with price of admission
Shambellie House New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8HQ Tel: 0300 123 6789

http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/museum_of_costume.aspx

Stay local, Shop Local, Eat local...

Glancing at the calendar I note that it's our local Farmers Market this Friday 27th April at Colvend Village Hall. (9.00 till 12.30) and make a mental note to drop in.


I always try sneak away from my busy schedule to pop in to the monthly farmers market at Colvend Village Hall (held every 4th Friday of the Month). Not to be recommended when you're hungry or have little or no will power (like me) as you will come out with nothing but a yummy selection of cakes, biscuits, chocolates and more cakes.

Despite my own tendency to gravitate towards the cakes there is lots more on offer and all produced locally - so we like to support the traders. My husband heads to the Barlochan Beef stall where we can buy the meat from the Highland Cattle that graze close to our house. They have also proved to be quite a tourist attraction as well, being so photogenic as you can see from the gorgeous photo below.  The beef is slow grown, so to speak, as the cattle are about four years old before they are taken. We know the cattle have had a good, healthy life, outdoors and enjoyed the views around the Colvend Coast, other than that the meat is delicious (so I am told by my husband as I am a Vegetarian ) You can see their range here: http://www.bhbeef.com/

“Eiteag & group” ... 
Eiteag is the beauty in the foreground ...
Note: it’s traditional to name Highland cattle in Gaelic ... Eiteag translates as  “white pebble”
 (Photo courtesy of Barlochan Beef)

Another favourite is the chocolate orange cake with its moist centre from Loch Arthur Creamery & Farmshop, a nearby community farm, and Mrs Royds utterly delightful cup cakes baked with love at her home in Southerness. They are so colourful and pretty you won't want to eat them. 
But, it's not all cakes though, you will find handcrafted silver made by Erwin of Red Crow Silver, (Red Crow website) a wonderfully talented silversmith in the village (his contemporary, and very wearable pieces,  are celtic inspired and have a lovely organic feel to them), hand made gifts and cards, organic vegetables, cheeses, delicious handmade chocolates, aromatic artisan breads from the Earth's Crust bakery, Lauriston, (Earth's Crust Bakery facebook page) and lot's more.


My sister always heads straight for the Loch Arthur stall, as she loves their tasty, toasted Granola and Honey/Seed loaf, before sidling along to the stall which sells homemade  chocolate truffles and then stocking up on Mr's Royds hazlenut macaroons. Superb!
 Nigel heads directly for the smoked salmon and meats - he adores the smoked salmon pate. That's the beauty of the farmers market, whatever your taste in food, there is a locally produced treat in store!

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I'm always a bit late to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and home baking served in the hall by a group of hard working, well organised members of the community which is always my first port of call at most village functions,  But armed with my goodies I enjoy that pleasure at home. All I need now is the bicycle with a basket !

The farmers market has really taken off and we have many guests that time their stay with a visit to the Market.

NEXT MARKET: Friday 27th April 2012

Colvend Public Hall, Colvend, Dalbeattie, DG5 4QD
9am - 12.30pm

The Market takes place every 4th Friday of the Month

Castle Douglas - named in Top 10 culinary destinations in Britain by Lonely Planet

Many thanks to Angus of Cavens Restaurant for bringing this to our attention. It's hard to believe but Castle Douglas was named in  a Top 10 of culinary destinations in Britain by Lonely Planet back in July 2010 - and we didn't even know it!


Here is a link to the announcement: Castle Douglas in Lonely Planet Culinary Top 10 What an accolade? To be one of  ten top gastronomic destinations that will get your mouth watering.


Castle Douglas is a lovely wee town and has long been a trading centre with livestock markets  still held each week at Wallets Mart. The attraction for the Lonely Planet wasn't so much in big-name chefs or award-laden restaurants but in high-quality local produce, from meat sold in independent butchers to brewers, confectioners and bakers. Featuring up there with Melton Mowbray and Padstow (home of fish Guru Rick Stein) Castle Douglas is a 'foodie heaven' and one of Britain’s designated ‘Food Towns’. 

Castle Douglas High Street

The busy high street is a treat. Unlike many of today's homogonised towns Castle Douglas is bustling with small independent retailers: from Chocolatiers, Delicatessen, a traditional sweet shop and a micro brewery to Butchers, Bakeries and newsagents as well as boutiques, cafes, galleries, jewelers, furniture makers and some gorgeous interiors and gift shops. And this is in addition to banks, chemists, supermarkets, post office, public houses etc. There is even a fresh fish stall in the car park at the top of the town.


It's a lovely place to stroll for a while. You can just window-shop and get a delicious coffee or browse beautiful Scottish jewelry, indulge in delicious handmade chocolates, taste award winning beer, select olives and sun dried tomatoes for lunch, pick up a delightful handmade cushion or a craftsman piece of furniture, buy souvenirs for friends and family or stock up on local beef and award winning pies and haggis.

Only a 15 minuite drive from Kippford or Rockcliffe it makes a pleasant day out, not just for foodies!