The upland parish of Cutsdean, source of the River Windrush, has retained an air of seclusion as undisturbed as anywhere in the Cotswolds. A peculiar feature of Cutsdean is its Dewponds and Tures designed to solve the most intractable problem of the Cotswold uplands – lack of drinking water for the flocks of sheep. Read the rest of this entry »

In June 2008 two American ladies came to the Cotswolds for a two week holiday. This is a diary of their experiences, the places that they visited and the people that they met.  Read the rest of this entry »

Friday 4th July - Sunday 6th July at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, with a Spitfire fighter flying in low on Saturday evening.  Read the rest of this entry »

Monday 24th March - First Race 1.00 pm – Paxford, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6XS

This Annual Event is held on the Bank Farm,Paxford Course, which opened in 1997, and features permanent buildings with changing rooms for jockeys and a weighing room. Car Parking is plentiful and the viewing is excellent. It is a very good day out with some excellent racing.
(Please note the earlier start time of the first race due to the clocks having not yet gone back) 
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The Museum, located in the original Grade II listed workshop, celebrates the work of the renowned 20th century furniture designer Sir Gordon Russell MC and that of his Company over a period of sixty years in Broadway, Worcestershire.
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Broadway based Gorsehill Abbey Farm wins at The British Cheese Awards 2007

Michael and Diane Stacey have been farming at Gorsehill Abbey Farm near Broadway, Worcestershire for over thirty five years and but have only been making cheese commercially since 2003. Their dairy herd is managed to organic standards and the Montbeliarde and Friesian cows are traditional breeds renowned for the quality of their milk and the flavour which it imparts to the cheese.

They have won many awards for their cheeses before but at The British Cheese Awards 2007, recently held at Millets Farm Centre, Frilford, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, they hit the top spot by winning the English Country Award – Best English Cheese -with their St. Oswald cheese.

St. Oswald is their most recent cheese and it is a small rind washed semi-soft cheese which becomes richer, stronger and more aromatic as it ages. It was named after Oswald, Bishop of Worcester.

This prestigious award was sponsored by H-E-B (H.E.Butt Grocery Co. (Here Everything’s Better)) and Gorsehill Abbey Farm were also presented with the Patrick Rance Trophy which comes with the award.

Not only did they win this top award but they also won the Best Organic Cheese Award, sponsored by Waitrose, with their Cotswold Natural cheese and Best Semi-Soft Cheese Award, sponsored by Jeroboams Group, with St. Oswald.
Cotswold Natural is a soft and creamy cheese which makes a delicious spread on crusty bread.

Not content with those major awards they won the following medals with their range of cheeses:-

Gold – St. Oswald, Cotswold Natural
Bronze – St.Agnes, St. Eadburgha, St. Egwin

Gorsehill Abbey Farm
Collin Lane
Broadway
Worcestershire
WR12 7PB
Telephone 01386 852208
www.gorsehillabbey.co.uk

The British Cheese Awards – www.thecheeseweb.com

You may also remember our article about ex-blur star Alex James: From Rock Star to Cotswold Cheesemaker. He won a medal for his new cheese ‘Little Wallop’.

Buy Clarence Court Eggs and Help Raise Money for Farmers in Africa

Clarence Court has championed ethical egg production since it was founded seventeen years ago by Cotswold farmer Philip Lee-Woolf and he has pioneered the revival of pure breed bloodlines which, unlike modern hybrids, are bred for egg quality and not quantity.

Last year he distributed radios to all his producer farms because music relaxes chickens and happy hens lay better eggs.

Philip was anxious to do more and to mark the 22nd anniversary of Live Aid, the multi-venue rock concert for famine relief, Clarence Court has joined forces with FARM-Africa to raise money for its chicken projects in pastoral communities in Eastern and South Africa.

500,000 charity packs of Old Cotswold Legbar and Burford Browns eggs will go on sale from 13th July until the end of September and for every pack sold Clarence Court will donate 2 pence per pack, with the aim of raising more than £10,000.

This donation will help change the lives of marginal chicken farmers by educating them about how to manage their natural resources more effectively and build sustainable livelihoods on their land.

The Clarence Court charity egg boxes will be stocked in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Booth’s, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and selected Asda stores.

FARM-Africa is an international non-government organisation that aims to reduce poverty in Eastern and South Africa and has projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Southern Sudan.

www.clarencecourt.co.uk
www.farmafrica.org.uk

charlotte.Hutley@thespaway.com

So come on, eat an extra egg for breakfast and help Hen-Aid to achieve it’s target.

Kevin Smith from Broadway has been named as West Midlands Master Photographer of the Year

The award, based upon five images, was announced by the Master Photographers Association.

Kevin, who runs Kevin Smith Photography with his wife Anthea, will now go forward to compete with some of the best photographers in the world at the National Professional Photography Awards to be held in the Autumn.

www.kevinsmithphotography.co.uk

The GWR want to replace Broadway Station

The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway are well under way in their plan to restore the line from Winchcombe to Broadway and as part of that plan they intend to find a relacement station at Broadway for the one that was demolished in the 1960′s.
They have therefore launched a national hunt and volunteers have drawn up a list of disused station buildings.

“Restoring Broadway Station is monumental task but we are determined to restore it’s atmosphere” said GWR spokesman Ian Crowder.

A replacement signal box has already been secured. It is a Grade II listed building from Exminster in Devon which is currently being stored at Winchcombe.

Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway
Restoration and Archiving Trust

Gorsehill Abbey St Oswald Cheese is a Supreme Champion

Michael and Diane Stacey of Gorsehill Abbey Farm near Broadway took the Supreme Champion at the Three Counties Cheese and Dairy Produce Competition with their St Oswald cheese. St Oswald is a small rind washed cheese which becomes richer, stronger and more aromatic as it ages. It is named after Oswald, Bishop of Worcester and later Archbishop of York, who is buried at Worcester and is one of their patron saints.

The Three Counties Show was held at Malvern Worcestershire in Mid June and the brand new Cheese & Dairy Produce Show was open to producers resident in Herefordshire,Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Warners Budgens sponsered this new show and as Supreme Champion the St Oswald cheese will be on sale in their Broadway, Bidford upon Avon and Moreton in Marsh stores for at least two months.

Gorsehill Abbey Cheese produce a range of Fresh and Ripened Cheeses which are available from the farm most of the time or at a number of local shops and Farmers Markets.

www.gorsehillabbey.co.uk

Gorsehill Abbey Farm has been registered organic for over ten years although it has been managed to organic standards for much longer. Michael and Diane have been farming here for over thirty years but have only made cheese commercially since 2003.