Fallen Oak Branch

On Monday the large oak close to the bird hide dropped one of it's larger branches. No one was injured and after cordoning off the site a tree surgeon examined the tree. A plan is being implemented to ensure the tree is healthy and safe for many years to come.

To ensure visitor safety the bird hide will be closed, however, the roof-top terrace is the perfect place to see, and listen to, Chiffchaff, Siskin and many others!

Kitchen Garden Update

The radishes are starting to appear in the kitchen garden! Lettuce, carrots, spring onions and lots of other lovely plants have been planted. Once they are ready to pick, they will go straight to the kitchen for Grant to use in his cooking, keep an eye out in the Tea Room!

Tea Room Fun

Julie and Julia had great fun with this cardboard box! Maybe they're off to make some more yummy wild garlic pesto for the Tea Room...

Wild Garlic Pesto

Have you tried our wild garlic pesto? It's available in the Tea Room, lovingly prepared in the Carding Mill Kitchens, with the garlic hand picked by volunteers.

The garlic was picked along Wenlock Edge, where there is loads of it!

To get to the garlic volunteers went past Ippikins Rock, which is regularly chosen by rangers as one of their favourite views, and you can see why!

Christmas Time Is Getting Nearer....

Sunday is the first day in December and we are really getting into the Christmas mood here in the valley. Isabel has been helping Tea Room staff Lucy, Julie and Corrine to decorate! The trees look great, and there is mistletoe and holly everywhere! Why not stop by this weekend and have a look?



The Tea Room tree is decked out in red and gold



Lucy adds the finishing touches

 

There are loads of fairy lights outside!



We need your books!

We need books! Any books you have lying around that could be donated would be greatly appreciated, they will be sold in the Tea Room and the funds raised go towards important work in and around Carding Mill Valley. Already volunteers John Goyne and Janet Beaumont-Nesbitt have raised an incredible £1140! If you have any please take them to the office.

Damson Picking

Autumn is starting to set in, and the trees are starting to show it! Nick, Richard and Darren were picking Damson Plums in the Batch Valley yesterday. These will go to Grant in the kitchen to make Damson jam, mmmm! Perfect for having with a scone.

Nick and Darren get stuck in!

Apple Picking

Apple Picking season is here! Our FTVs Isabel and Richard went with Countryside Manager Pete Carty and Volunteers Pete and Dick to Dudmaston yesterday to pick apples. Some of these will be made into delicious apple cake in the Tea Room, and some will be stored for the crafts day next weekend when they will be pressed to make apple juice!

 


Gardener Mark shows Isabel the best apples



Apple picking is a delicate task, as the apples will not store if they are bruised. They are picked off the trees only when ripe using special equipment, then stored in pallets in a clean, dry shed.



Pete and Dick depositing their pick



Keep an eye on this blog for more infomation about the Craft Day!

Photo Competition Winners Announced

The winners of the photo competition have been announced! The winning photos are being displayed in the Tea Room, and they are very impressive, which one is your favourite?



Binoculars in the Tea Room

Fancy doing a spot of bird watching whilst having tea on the Roof Top Terrace? Pop into the Tea Room and ask to borrow our binoculars, its free and you can watch the birds at our bird feeders! What will you see?

Grant spies some birds



Baby Swallows

Carding Mill Valley is currently playing host to a family of swallows! The nest is tucked away at the top of the barn and is very difficult to see, but the wardens have set up a camera so we can watch the baby birds grow.

The nest is right at the top of the barn



 The camera is linked to a TV in the Tea Room, so if you have a minute to spare pop in and have a look (and maybe a bite of cake too!)



In the Tea Room you can watch the baby birds



Bilberry Pie

Who wants a slice of this delicious looking pie? Grant found even more bilberries and has made another tasty treat. Better hurry if you want some!



A delectable desert!



Bilberries Galore!

FTVs Isabel and Kate spotted a patch of bilberries out on the hill this morning, and have picked them and given them to Grant in the kitchen to make a pie! Who wants a slice?





Our morning's efforts!



Fresh Produce From the Garden

Volunteer Lucy and her son Rowan are very happy with all the lettuce and beans they've got from the garden! Pay a visit to the tea room to sample some of the labours of their hard work.



Full of beans!



Slurp on a Summer Cooler

 Grant has begun creating some delicious summer drinks in the CMV tearoom. They are perfect for cooling you down when relaxing in the sun on the rooftop terrace.

Below there is a refreshing fruity garden smoothie made from a mix of fresh berries picked from our own kitchen garden and blended with bananas and ice cold milk.

Below is a refreshing ice coffee: an expresso shot, a ball of farmhouse icecream and topped up with cold milk.



Felted things

These little felted things were made by Full Time Volunteer Kate and are being sold in the tearoom. She has felted flowers, mushrooms and some big and little owls and birds which are sitting on pieces of driftwood she foraged from the Welsh coast. There are also some bags of lavender which she harvested from her garden and dried. The price list is on the wall next to them and you can pay for them at the till.

Masonic Group enjoying fresh food in the tearoom

25 People from a masonic group visited the tearoom the other day for a meal, using fresh fruit and veg from the kitchen garden. After their meal they had a presentation by Nick Robinson, assistant ranger about the management of the Long Mynd and some participants went into the kitchen garden to see where their delicious food had come from.



Salad using lettuce harvested from the garden

 

Desert - A delicious tart using strawberries and red currants from the garden

Summer BBQ at CMV

Hi folks!

This weekend will be accompanied by the broil of burgers and the sizzle of sausages here at Carding Mill Valley.

Yes, we’re celebrating the sensational summer sun with a bar-be-que outside the chalet pavilion on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

We’re grilling meat from our local butchers who supply us with tasty sausages from outdoor reared pigs and beef burgers from their own herd of cattle.

So, why not come and enjoy a great day out with family or friends. We also serve local farmhouse ice creams, delicious home made cakes, salads from our garden and our all new flavoured ice coffees.

Rhubarb Rhubarb

Ben in the tearoom has been making good use of some of our kitchen garden produce. Yesterday he made some of our rhubarb plants into a delicious chutney.

Icicles!

These icicles outside the tearoom office window, are over 2 foot long. Still on the look out for ones that can beat these!