BARK

BARK

BARK IS A MONTHLY LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION

SHOWING A MINIMALIST APPROACH TO THE WORLD WE SEE AROUND

US. BARK CELEBRATES THE ARTS OF PHOTOGRAPHY,fashion, WORDS

AND GOOD FOOD. THIS MONTH WE ARE BRINGING YOU THE GLORI-

OUS YORKSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE, WITH EXTRA RECIPES FOR HEARTY

WINTER WARMERS.

KNIT

Knit THREAD Weave Wear Warmth

L a y e r C o s y F A B R I C

LoopAngoraColour Texture WEIGHT

S h a p e T h i c k n e s s

STITCH Wear Wool

Breakfast pancakesOpening your bleary eyes on a crisp morning and drawing back the curtains, the sun is low, the ground is glistening and the leaves are dancing outside, the only thing you want right now is a steaming mug of coffee and a stack of breakfast pancakes delivered to you without venturing out of the cocoon of your duvet. If you’re brave enough to venture out, here’s how to create an impressive stack of pancakes…

To make 4-6 pancakes you will need:2 medium free-range eggs1 cup of plain FLour1 cup of milkA knob of butter A non-stick frying pan, the size is up to youStart by whisking together the eggs and flour in a large measuring jug, slowly add the milk to create a super smooth batter.

Next, heat the butter in your pan on a medium heat to ensure you don’t burn the butter (speaking from experience, it doesn’t smell great!) Once the butter has melted and the pan is reasonably hot, pour enough mixture onto the pan to cover the bottom with a thin layer to make big ones or drop a small amount in the pan to make them about 6cm across and cook a few at a time. Allow this side to cook for approximately 2 minutes or until all of the batter has hardened and turn. If you’re feeling brave then go for the toss, probably not wise if you’re cooking multiple pancakes however!Allow this side to cook for about 1 minute then slide onto a plate and cook the rest of the batter.

The topping is entirely up to you, personally I’m a fan of chocolate spread, lemon and sugar and golden syrup, but you could try anything from strawberries and blueberries to perhaps a more savoury option of ham and cheese, the world

is your oyster!Now climb back into bed and enjoy!

It all started on a whim. The desire to get away for a while, spend a little time alone and with the people I love, a moment to reflect without the hustle and bustle of city life. Like many I was bored of the same old, work, eat, gym, sleep, repeat routine so I decided a spontaneous trip was in order.

Deciding to get out of the city for the weekend and visit my parent’s home in the country seemed like the best idea. Set in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors, the house had been a haven for our family es-pecially when we were children, spending hours at a time exploring the garden or surrounding woods tiring us out enough to fall asleep in front of the log fire. As a little girl I loved nothing more than spending all day riding my horse, trekking over the glorious surroundings, then returning to a glorious feast, a luxurious bubble bath and drying my hair against the heat of the fire. Although I may no longer get away with being a ‘little girl’ any more, try as I might, I longed to experience the sense of escapism I once took for granted.

I would leave after work on Friday so Thursday evening was dedicated to packing an array of the warmest jumpers, fluffiest socks, toasty pyjamas and a selection of books to keep me entertained. After purchasing my tickets, various magazines and a rather disappoint-ing coffee house hot chocolate, I demonstrated an impressive display (if I do say so myself) of multi-tasking as I operated the ticket barrier, at rush hour, with a hot chocolate and large bag in tow. After years of travelling by train to and from university, I have perfected the art of elbow bashing people to grab that window seat first-albeit sometimes I let the occasional OAP/pregnant lady through, I am a firm believer in karma. This time was successful and I settled down in a window seat with my stack of mag-azines and watery hot chocolate, sometimes looking up at some stops during the 3 hour journey to York for a spot of people watching, one of my favourite past times. As 8pm approached the cool winter evening had drawn in and all that could be seen from the train were the spots of lights as we sped by towns and cities. Finally we were approaching York, after awkwardly tapping the man next to me who had fallen asleep on my shoulder for the majority of the journey, I jumped up and grabbed my bag.

A Country DelightA trip back to childhood and

beyond, my own personal

Neverland.

Looking around for my parents left me feeling like a 4 year old on their first day of Primary school. Unable to locate them and finally, after a few stroppy phone calls and a half hour wait, they were there. The half hour journey back to the house was spent catching up and discussing the plans for the weekend. It was approaching 11.30pm when we arrived and the only thing on my mind was the fresh, warm bed waiting for me, oh and Dylan. Dylan is my parents Labrador, I’ve seen him grow from a tiny puppy to the large, boisterous animal he is today but a total softy at heart. He almost kneecaps me as I walk through the door and I realise I have missed his smiley, slobbery face dearly as I bend down to greet him. Saying my goodnights I make my way upstairs, unpack my bag, to locate my pyjamas which are fleecy and far from sexy, half-heartedly remove my make up in the bathroom and clean my teeth then throw back the covers and climb wearily into bed. After working such long hours and spending much of the evening travelling I am asleep before my head even touches the pillow.

Usually being involuntarily woken is my idea of a sick joke but I was awo-ken in the morning to the best thing ever, breakfast in bed! Presented on a tray with a mug of steaming coffee, a glass of fresh orange and the largest stack of pancakes you have ever seen drizzled with golden syrup. Glancing out of the window which replaced the curtains my Mum had just swept back I noticed the glimmer of frost on the ground outside on this cool November morning.

On the cards today was a trip to the local pub in the evening for some hearty food and a catch up with friends. As I had nothing to do before then, I decided to take Dylan on a walk through the woods whilst my par-ents were busy. I finished breakfast and selected an outfit, a warm jump-er, skinny jeans and massive fluffy socks and was thankful for the Hunter wellies waiting for me downstairs. I gathered my jacket, scarf, Dylan and shoved my feet inside my wellies, we said our farewells before opening the back door to brace the elements.

Setting off across the field and towards the wood, I let Dylan off his lead, he ran off ahead but was too scared to run away all together. I loved the feel of not having to wear any make up and the fresh, natural, rosy glow the winter winds gave me. The grass felt crisp under my feet as I made my way through the trees, I was thankful to have my phone with me which enabled me to photograph the stunning scenery, a reminder for when I was back in the big smoke. We walked for another hour, with Dylan chasing shadows and rabbits along the way careful not to go too far, giving me a sense of security in the quiet location. We finished our walk with a stroll around the lake sighting the deer in the field nearby.

Arriving back to an empty house in the mid-afternoon the only thing I wanted was a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Throw-ing down my coat, I made my way to the kitchen. The best way to make hot choc-olate is from scratch. I melted sugar and water in a pan and added treacle making a thick tar like mixture before adding a splash of double cream to create a caramel and leaving to the side. Then grating a bar of dark and milk chocolate and adding it to a pan of nearly boiled milk. I spent time pouring a little of the caramel into the bottom of my favourite mug before adding the warm chocolaty milk, finishing with one more splash of caramel. Settling down in front of the ready-lit fire with a glossy magazine and this chocolaty mug of heaven was bliss.

“I loved the feeling

of not having to wear make-up and the fresh,

natural, rosy glow the winter winds gave

me.”

Later I enjoyed a relaxing bath surrounded by can-dles and smothered in bubbles. I changed and walked the short distance to the pub to meet my friends who still lived in the place we grew up and call home. Like true friends no matter how much time we spend apart conversation can be picked up from where we left off. We gossiped anima-tedly over a glass of wine as we chose from the extensive pub menu, serving traditional pub grub. I settled on steak and ale pie with creamy mash, which did not disappoint. Having devoured our food and several bottles of wine, we reminisced of old times and learnt of new experiences.

We staggered to the next bar for more drinks and dancing, we had a good giggle, a dance and a few tests of gravity through wearing heels that were definitely made for standing still! By 3am the last women standing were ready to call it a night and we said our teary goodbyes for the time being and made our way home, perhaps slightly more wobbly than before!

I woke the next morning to Dylan licking my face, an unpleasant banging sensation in my head and a mouth as dry as the Sahara dessert. I dragged myself from my bed and forced myself into the shower to wash away last night’s make-up and the flashbacks of shameful dancing on tables and a cheeky snog with an ex-boyfriend. Admittedly get-ting out of the shower and being greeted by the smell of Sunday lunch made me feel a lot better.

After the “I told-you-so” speech about drinking by my mother, I set up camp on the sofa with a bowl of homemade soup and fresh crusty bread smothered in butter while watching last night’s X Factor on TV. A few hours later, feeling much bet-ter, we sat down to a magnificent feast. Starting with homemade Yorkshire puddings drowning in thick gravy, followed by slow roasted beef, all of the home grown vegetables you could imagine, crispy roast potatoes and parsnips covered in an-other coating of the rich gravy.

After embracing the challenge of squeezing in a delicious portion of crispy apple crumble covered in thick cream, we washed up and collapsed in front of a film and the fire. A few hours passed and I begrudgingly gathered my belongings ready for my 8pm train, said my farewells and hopped in the car listening to Dylan’s loud yapping. As we pulled away I looked back at the house and back over the perfect weekend break and thought, I couldn’t have grown up in a better place. I made my way to my seat on the train, settled down with my book feeling rested, full and content and ready to return to the city.

When there’s a definite chill in the air, sometimes we need more to warm our hands than gloves. Soup is a firm winter warmer favourite, with endless combinations of flavours and textures. Rustle up a batch of this sweet potato and ginger soup, pop into a flask and take with you on your travels for an instant pick-me-up…To serve 2 people you will need:

1 onion, diced2 cloves of garlic, crushed2 medium sized sweet potatoes roughly cut into chunks1 tablespoon of ground gingerA knob of butterA small teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Soup

A pinch of cayenne pepper150 ml vegetable stock½ a cup of double creamA splash of olive oilTo begin, heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large, deep pan until simmering and add the onion, garlic and sweet potato.

Sauté until the vegetables begin to brown then reduce to a low heat, then add the nutmeg, ginger and cayenne pepper and stir continuously until the vegetables are all covered and fragrant which should take about 1 minute.

Add the vegetable stock slowly and half of the cream, stir, then simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the mixture has reduced.Use a hand blender or a food processor and blend the mix into a smooth mixture ensuring there are no lumps-unless you want to keep it chunky, that’s up to you-. Stir in the last of your cream. Serve with crusty bread and butter or if you like, heat a little oil in a frying pan, tear off pieces of white bread and add to the pan, keep them moving until fried and add these crispy croutons to your soup bowl. Sit back and enjoy!

Wanderlust-n

A very strong and irresistable impulse to

travel the world.

anderlust

What is quite possibly the best thing you could ask for after a long hard day bracing the elements… pie! The old English favourite has Layers of crispy puff pastry followed by the warm, hearty filling, pop in the oven and enjoy a long, hot bath while it bakes, put on your

warmest, fleeciest pj’s and enjoy!

To make the pie you will need:1 packet, shop bought puff pastryA handful of mushrooms, of any variety you desireA splash of olive oil1kg of good quality braising steak, with the fatty bits removed5 large Shallots, halved2 carrots, roughly chopped¼ cup of plain flour1 bottle of dark ale2 stock cubes, beef preferably but vegetable will

also do mixed with 400ml boiling waterA pinch of mixed herbsEgg for glazing

Start by preheating the oven to 160c/gas mark 3. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan or casserole dish then brown the meat

and set aside for later. Add the onion and carrots to the pan, using more oil if you need to, add the mushrooms then slowly add the flour, stirring until the flour

absorbs the juices and turns brown.Add the meat back to the pan, along with the ale and stock, season

with the mixed herbs then simmer for approximately 2hours.Prepare your pastry by rolling onto a floured surface to approximately 2cm thick and cutting to the appropriate shape of your pie dish, you may need a pie funnel to stop the pie from collapsing, place in the pie

dish before adding the filling.Add the filling to the pie dish and cover with the pastry, being careful to ensure the edges are pressed firmly to the dish, we don’t want any

of the yummy filling to go to waste do we?Lastly brush on the beaten egg mix to make the pie nice and shiny, pop in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until the top looks lovely and

golden.

Steak and Ale Pie with Creamy mash

To make the creamy potato mash you will need:5 medium potatoes suitable for mashing (Waxy type work best but the variety is down to personal preference)A splash of milkA knob of butterSalt & pepper to seasonPeel and chop potatoes into chunks and add to a pan of boiling water, cover and boil for 15-20 minutes.Stick a knife through the potatoes to ensure they are soft, drain and shake so they are fluffy.Put them back in the pan and add the milk, butter and seasoning. The next part requires some serious elbow grease or if you’d prefer a hand blender, blend/mash the potatoes until you are left with a creamy lump free mash. Cut the pie into slices and serve with the mash, beware this is incredibly moreish and may leave you in a food coma for the foreseeable future…

Serendipity -n

Finding something good without looking for it

Caramel Hot Chocolate After a cold, busy day bracing the elements, what more could you want than a warm, heavenly mug of hot chocolate. Not just any Hot Chocolate, oh no, salted caramel hot chocolate. Basically its a yummy, rich hot chocolate with a caramel syrup, inspired by the infamous Starbucks’ recipe, this cup of pure heaven is easy to make and enjoy at home.

To make the caramel you will need;1 small cup of sugar (golden caster if you have it if not granulated will do)¼ cup of water1 tsp of treacleA knob of butter2 Table spoons double cream (the thick, heart attack material)1 big pinch of salt

To make the hot chocolate;50g milk chocolate (buy a 100g bar and snack on the other half while cooking, waste not, want not!)50g Dark chocolate

1 pint of milk- dairy, soy or whatever you prefer.Whipped cream (probably best to use canned as fresh, hand-whipped can be a bit heavy and sink)

Start by heating the water and sugar over a low heat until it forms a syrup which will take approximately 10 minutes, don’t worry if it takes a little longer or it forms a messy goo, stir in the butter and it will turn into syrup. Add the treacle, you should be left with a dark nectar, stir in the double cream and salt and turn the heat down, put to one side for later. Whack the chocolate in a food processor or use a hand grater to create a fine dust/ shaving, put this in a bowl or jug and leave to the side. Meanwhile heat up your milk to just below boiling point in a saucepan then add to the chocolate and stir until melted. Pick your biggest mugs and pour in a generous helping of the caramel and then add the chocolate, finally perfect the mug with a skirt of cream and if you have any leftover chocolate and caramel sprinkle on top, find your place in front of the log fire, sit back and enjoy….

Home Sweet Home

Publication produced and photographed by Lucy Wright.

With thanks to model, Stacey Goodrum. and dylan.

Photographs shot across North Yorkshire.

here are far

better things ahead

than

we leave

behind.C.S LewisT