Happy Christmas

Look what I saw in Liverpool the other day!

Just a quick post this week to wish a Happy Christmas to all our guests, past, present and yet to come.

Christmas Preparations

This has been my Christmas preparation week. I've decorated the trees, one in the guest lounge and one in our lounge, and placed decorated smaller trees in each of the guest bedrooms. The main Christmas baking is done and the Christmas meals planned. I've been into both Chester and Liverpool shopping and have bought most of the presents now. The wheel in Liverpool One looks magnificent, although I was definitely not brave enough to go on it!

918 meals

It has been a while since I last posted. The main reason is that, in addition to running the B & B, I was doing the catering for a residential trip with the school where I used to teach. This involved making hot meals for 102 people for two nights in a log cabin in the Lake District, and catering for 918 meals in total! I turned to my favourite chefs for recipes and the children enjoyed Delia Smith, James Martin and Nigella Lawson dishes. One of the favourites, and very popular with B & B guests too, was James Martin's chocolate brownie recipe, available here at http://www.uktv.co.uk/ . I make this a lot, it freezes well, you can double up the quantities, it is very good served at room temperature, and even better warmed.

Outside my log cabin there were pheasants and when I got home I was delighted to see that the pheasants have returned to our garden at Number Fifteen. I haven't managed to get a good photo of them in the garden yet, but these three were just by the golf course.

A busy week

It has been a busy week in the B & B and an even busier weekend all round. Friday night I went to see Ralph McTell as part of the annual Wirral Guitar Festival. As ever, he gave a very entertaining performance. Then on Sunday I went to another concert in the festival, this time by John Williams. It was a real privilege to hear one of the best guitarists in the world. Both concerts were at the excellent Pacific Road Theatre in Birkenhead. Between concerts I managed to fit in a trip to Bridgnorth, followed by wine tasting at a Shropshire vineyard. Today I have lots of beds to change and rooms to do, ready for new guests.

Bonfire on the Beach

I was away this weekend and so missed the annual bonfire on the beach by the Sailing Club in Hoylake. I gather it rained, but John just about managed to take a photo of the bonfire and fireworks. Last year I did go, and so did some of our B and B guests. It was chilly rather than wet, and we all came back to Number Fifteen for homemade soup and a cheesy leek pasta dish.

This morning the sun was shining and, once the B and B rooms were all done, I went out on my bike for a lovely ride along the promenade and past Hoylake lifeboat station. There were quite a few shelducks amongst the birds on the sands today.

Recipe of the month - Fruity Flapjack

I'm often asked for recipes by guests who stay at Number Fifteen. This flapjack recipe currently holds the record for being the most frequently requested.

Fruity Flapjack

12oz oats

6oz butter

2oz sugar

3 tablespoons golden syrup

dried fruit - I add chopped dried apricots and chopped dates

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan.

Mix in the oats and dried fruit.

Put into a greased swiss roll tin and bake at 160° for 20 minutes.

Bedrooms with a View

One thing our guests comment on are the views – the rooms look over the Royal Liverpool Golf Course and, depending on where you are in the house, you can see the Clubhouse, the River Dee, Hilbre Island, the sea, the Welsh Hills, plenty of golfers and a variety of birds, including on occasions pheasants in the garden and, if you are very fortunate, owls flying over the course. Now we have a new “View” in each of the rooms. West Wirral magazine “View” recently featured an editorial about Number Fifteen and copies have joined our coffee table reading selection. This glossy magazine also includes articles about several of the high quality eating establishments in the area, something which is always of interest to the guests.

Oh, and I got the bike and have been for my first ride down to the beach in Hoylake.

On your bike!

Right from the planning stage for the B and B I had always intended to get a new bike, with, and this is vital to me, a wicker basket on the front. It has taken me well over two years to get round to it as other jobs always seemed more urgent, but finally this week I have chosen the bike, and the basket, and should be able to collect on Thursday. We have excellent local shops where I am able to buy good quality breakfast ingredients and the bike will give me another option when I haven’t got time to walk but don’t really need to take the car.

Talking of walking, the weather was so beautiful this week that I decided to stroll along the beach to West Kirby and visit one of the many good cafés there. Half way along the beach I bumped into a former colleague, who I haven’t seen for years, and she told me that 40 something years ago she held her 21st birthday party in the lounge at Number Fifteen. Another idea that I’ve had for a while (like buying a bike) is to try and piece together the history of the house and discovering this may just spur me on.

The MP visits

Number Fifteen had another special visitor this week when Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford called in to have a look round. He was very complimentary about the place and even suggested that he might mention us to the Parliamentary golf team.

I love the coincidences that emerge when I talk to the B and B guests. One of my favourites concerns two ladies who live in Reigate, Surrey, and who bumped into each other in the High Street one morning. One, having just been on holiday here, recommended Number Fifteen to the other, who had announced she was shortly to visit Hoylake. Both ladies have now made repeat visits here, although not yet both at the same time.

There was another coincidence this week. A couple of guests from Bedfordshire had told us about their labrador which was being looked after back at home. They were out for a walk yesterday and stopped to chat to one of our neighbours who happened to be walking his golden labrador. They commented on how very similar the neighbour’s dog was to theirs. Incredibly it turned out that the two dogs were sisters and had come originally from Preston.

A novel week

It is fair to say that every week at Number Fifteen is different. This week certainly had a "novel" feature. I'd been contacted by Liverpool journalist Jane, who is researching material for a novel she is writing featuring a 40 something year old woman (rather closer to 50 in my case!) who makes a career change and opens a B and B. Having discovered that I had done this myself just over two years ago she came out to interview me and to get a feel for what running a B and B is like. Even better, she's offered her services to help out for a day later in the autumn.

Earlier in the week we were delighted to receive the photo souvenirs of Number Fifteen's team win at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Congratulations to Chris, a guest, and Colin, our wonderfully supportive bank manager. We hope you enjoy the photos and also your prize golf bags.