A new adventure for H is for Home

The finished set up of the H is for Home pitch in Valley Antiques, Hebden Bridge

A new venture/adventure has begun for H is for Home this week. We’ve spent the last couple of days moving into the recently-opened Valley Antiques Centre in Hebden Bridge.

Arriving with stock for Valley Antiques Centre, Hebden Bridge

Arriving with stock for Valley Antiques, Hebden Bridge

We’ve long-fancied having a retail space in Hebden. It’s a lovely little town full of small independent shops; cafés & coffee shops, pubs & bars and art galleries. It’s a great place to spend the day mooching around. We actually lived here when we first moved to Yorkshire from Brighton back in 2000.

Hanging the H is for Home banner in our new pitch

Arriving with stock for Valley Antiques, Hebden Bridge

Despite recently moving to Wales, it will be nice to maintain an ongoing relationship with the town, Todmorden and the Calder Valley, in general.

Hanging vintage fabric in our new pitch

Hanging vintage fabric in our new pitch

We’ve secured a decent-sized space, big enough for furniture and smaller vintage items such as fabric, lighting, artwork and kitchenalia – and all manner of decorative things for the home.

Corner of our new pitch Corner of our new pitch

Vintage trestle table in our new pitch

Valley Antiques Centre has only been open a couple of months, it’s looking great and is packed full of interesting and quirky stuff from a number of dealers. It’s well run, and you’ll receive a warm welcome from Jan, who has launched the centre – or one of the other dealers on hand.

Vintage wooden printers blocks

Antique brass candle holders

We’ve included these photos to show you how we’re getting on – and to showcase the kind of stock you’ll find on our pitch. In future posts, we’ll highlight other dealers and their wares.

Vintage Husman's potato chip tin

Corner of our new pitch in Valley Antiques Centre

Valley Antiques Centre is situated at the end of Valley Road – just past the Doctors’ Surgery, on the opposite side of the road. It’s open 10am-4pm, Monday to Sunday.

Corner of our new pitch with a vintage kitchenette

Corner of our new pitch in Valley Antiques Centre

We hope that you can pay us a visit sometime soon!

A Piece of history

Piece Hall, Halifax

It was a gloriously sunny day a couple of weeks ago when we took a trip to nearby Halifax. It’s a long time since we’ve been and we wanted to pay a visit to the recently restored, historic Piece Hall.

Piece Hall, Halifax with the spire of Square Church in the background | H is for Home

It’s incredible to think that when the Hall was first opened, trading within was only allowed for 2 hours per week – and just on a Saturday. In his book, A Topographical Dictionary of England, Samuel Lewis writes:

Early engraving of Piece Hall, Halifax

The Piece Hall was erected by the manufacturers and is a large quadrangular building of freestone occupying an area of ten thousand square yards with a rustic basement storey and two upper storeys fronted with two interior colonnades which are spacious walks leading to arched rooms where goods in an unfinished state were deposited and exhibited for sale to the merchants every Saturday from ten to twelve ‘clock. This structure which was completed at an expense of £12,000 and opened on 1 January 1779 unites elegance convenience and security. It contains three hundred and fifteen separate rooms, and is proof against fire.

First floor colonnade, Piece Hall, Halifax | H is for Home

The Hall is on 3 floors, now housing a range of little independent shops located along the long, beautiful colonnades. Shops such as Yorkshire Soap Company, Loafers Vinyl & Coffee – there’s even a gin bar in a corner on the ground level. The large central square is being used for concerts, gigs, markets, workshops and so on. The Antiques Roadshow takes place there this summer.

Adelle standing at one of the huge gates leading into Piece Hall | H is for Home

We couldn’t leave without taking a couple of photos of the impressive, restored cast iron south gates manufactured in 1871.

Detail from one of the gates leading into Piece Hall | H is for Home

The white rose of Yorkshire is one of the prominent symbols. The gates are inscribed with the Latin, “Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem” from Psalm 127 meaning, “Except the Lord keep the city”. They bear a figure of a lamb, a nod to the fact that Halifax was an important centre of the woollen trade in England. The head of John the Baptist is also present, he’s the patron saint of wool weavers’ guilds.

 

Who’s heard of dock pudding?

Breakfast plate of egg, bacon and dock pudding | H is for Home

Have you ever heard of dock pudding? I hadn’t until this year. It’s a pudding – if you can call it that – that’s very particular to our neck of the woods and this time of year.

Colanders of dock and nettle leaves | H is for Home

It’s a local, Calder Valley dish made of dock leaves, nettles, spring onions and oats – and is traditionally fried in bacon fat. The name ‘dock pudding’ is pretty misleading, not only is it not what you’d consider a pudding, it’s made using Persicaria bistorta. More commonly known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort, meadow bistort, gentle dock or passion dock.

Dock identification | H is for Home

It does however, grow alongside what we commonly know as dock – Rumex obtusifolius – or bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf or butter dock. Bistort is quite a bit smaller than dock. I’ve included a photo I took to help you identify the difference. If you’re still not sure about it, wait until June or July when bistort is in bloom. You can’t miss its pretty pink flowers shaped like cotton buds.

Adding oatmeal to dock pudding mixture | H is for Home

There’s a World Dock Pudding Championship founded in 1971 and held annually in Mytholmroyd. It took place just last weekend. During the Second World War, William Brooke Joyce, the last man to be hanged in Britain for treason, mistakenly believed that the people of Yorkshire were starving due to food rationing and were resorting to eating grass. In fact, they were simply enjoying their dock pudding!

Frying dock pudding rounds | H is for Home

I used the recipe from A Yorkshire Cookbook by Mary Hanson Moore and used a metal ring to mould them into perfect rounds. I had mine as a vegetarian option; served on a hash brown with runny egg sitting atop that. Justin had his served with the crispy bacon and egg – his dock pudding fried in bacon fat. We can honestly say that it was really delicious in both dishes. Justin had it again with a full English breakfast and says that in addition to the bacon and egg, it combines well with all other options like sausage, mushroom, tomato, potatoes, fried bread and toast. Dock pudding is a real winner – not only is it naturally foraged, very healthy and virtually cost free – the flavour really enhances dishes. As said, it’s great with breakfast ingredients, but could be used for all manner of other starter dishes and light lunches – or as a main course accompaniment.

Dock pudding
Ingredients
  1. 1 quart snakeweed leaves
  2. 1pint young nettle tops
  3. 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  4. 1 handful oatmeal
  5. small knob of butter
  6. bacon fatDock pudding ingredients
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
Instructions
  1. Clean and remove the thick stalks from the docks and nettles and boil with the onions in a little water until tender
  2. Add some seasoning and sprinkle in the oatmeal
  3. Boil again for 10 minutes, stirring all the time
  4. Add the butter
  5. Leave overnight
  6. Next day, fry large spoonfuls of the mixture in hot bacon fat and serve with bacon
Notes
  1. Don't forget to wear protective gloves when picking the stinging nettles and make sure you forage in a place where dogs aren't able to cock their leg!
Print
Adapted from A Yorkshire Cookbook
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Last of the Summer Wine

'Last of the Summer Wine' blog post banner

front of Homefirth Vineyard building | H is for Home

I’ve never been a fan of the television series, “Last of the Summer Wine”, I’ve never seen a single episode, but I do know that it was filmed (until its demise last year) in the nearby town of Holmfirth.

View of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant & sun terrace | H is for Home

What I didn’t know however, is that there’s AN ACTUAL VINEYARD in Holmfirth! In Yorkshire! Who’d have thought it was possible?!

Grape vines at Holmfirth Vineyard | H is for Home

Holmfirth Vineyard was founded in 2007 – it had previously been a sheep farm, something much more typical of the area.

Bar area in the restaurant at Holmfirth Vineyard | H is for Home

I visited for the first time two days ago with my friend Duncan. He took me there for a spot of lunch (and perhaps a glass of wine) in their lovely, light-filled restaurant. The food was lovely – I had a pear & stilton tart with salad and sweet potato chips; Duncan had their Swiss cheese & bacon burger with fat chips – both homemade. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the food when it arrived, but trust me, it was delicious!

Duncan enjoying the sun on the terrace of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant | H is for Home

West Yorkshire was (and still is!) having an early spring heatwave – just look at that sky! – so we decided to finish with coffee & cake on their terrace overlooking the grapevines. The panoramic view was stunning!

slices of cheesecake & cups of coffee on the terrace of the Holmfirth Vineyard restaurant | H is for Home

We both plumped for their New York style cheesecake – divine! I had a great afternoon, I’d really love to visit again – next time taking in the tour and wine tasting too – hopefully it was the first, and not the last, of the summer wine!