Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
View from Cosses drive
Happy New Year from
Cosses Country House – your favourite
Scottish Holiday Destination!
We have been busy in 2010 creating the Cosses Trail and Arboretum.
We have landscaped the pond, built a bird hide, built bridges and planted over 50 Acer trees and 12 Crab Apple Trees. This has created a wonderful trail – just about all that Bonzo dog can manage these days. Montydog loves the long walks such as the Ayrshire Coastal path, Carrick and Galloway walks and the western Southern Upland Way. Robin is enjoying playing golf .as all the coastal, links courses are open with lots of discounted play over the winter. We are officially part of Scotland’s first biosphere with real darkness witnessing metior showers, eclipses and wonderful star gazing.
We still have lots of winter vegetables, creating lots of winter dishes and now we are busy selecting seeds for all the special vegetables for our home grown produce for 2011.
We are open from February with the Winter White Festival for snowdrop walks, continuing through the spring with all the daffodils. We will have a Scotland Garden Scheme open day on 15th May with a bluebell walk.
View over Cosses Valley
Tags: Ayrshire Coastal Path, Best Food, Best gardens in Scotland, Best Golf Courses in Scotland, Bluebell woods, favourite walks in Ballantrae, Gardens of Scotland, holiday-southern-scotland, perfect holidays, Romantic Locations, Walk Scotland
Posted in Gardening, Gardens of Scotland, Holiday Scotland, Home, Romantic Holiday, Uncategorized, Walking Scotland | Comments Off
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
Crisp leaves under foot, berries ripening on the trees and glorious colours everywhere.
Apples are to collect and store for the winter, and delicious desserts are created for the guests: Baked apples stuffed with home made mince meat, apple beignets, crumbles and tarts, apple ice cream and pancakes.
Heavily laden Reverand Greaves cooking apples
There are plenty of leaves to sweep up, tulips and wallflowers to plant for the spring. The Main Crop potatoes need to be dug and stored, and we now start on the leeks, parsnips and Brussel Sprouts.
We have already served partridge from Dumfries House, and soon the Crailoch Shoot will supply us with pheasants.
Come and spend an Autumn or winter break with us – we have some excellent special offers
Tags: Best Food, Best gardens in Scotland, Eat Scotland, favourite walks in Ballantrae, Places to eat in Scotland, Romantic Locations, Slow Food
Posted in Fine Dining, Gardening, Luxury special offer breaks in Scotland, Romantic Holiday, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
For the Scottish Food and Drink fortnight href=”http://”>Cosses Country Househref=”http:///www.cossescountryhouse.com/dining.htm”> is highlighting its famous kitchen garden and use of local food.
Guests can help to select and pick their own vegetables- lots of varieties of potatoes,carrots and tomatoes, various salad crops, courgettes, french and runner beans, and a huge brassica collection. Today we picked the last of the Broad Beans and Czar plums. Victoria plums and Coxes apples are just coming into season.
Kitchen garden
Breakfast menus using home grown fruit compote and home made yoghurt; Dalduff bacon, haggis, black pudding and sausages; locally smoked kippers and haddock for kedgeree; home made bread and preserves.
Dinner menus using Ballantrae crab, lobsters and prawns, Crailoch Lamb, Dalduff fillet of beef, venison and game. Local Scottish Cheese, home made oatcakes and Rowan Jelly alomg with Joy’s home grown black grapes. All for £90 dinnner B&B in a luxurious suite. Cosses Country House has a superb wine and whisky list to choose from.
Tags: Best Food, Places to eat in Scotland, Scottish Food Guide, Slow Food
Posted in Best Restaurant, Fine Dining, Food, Gardening, Luxury special offer breaks in Scotland, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Wine and Whisky | Comments Off
Friday, August 20th, 2010
What a wonderful time of year in the vegetable garden. There is so much to choose from and everything is so lush. I visit the garden to decide what to serve my guests for dinner. www.cossescountryhouse.com/ I have just picked raspberries for a Mille Feuille and home made raspberry and Brockman’s gin Ice Cream. Brockman’s Gin
Brockman’s Gin is a great discovery in the kitchen, as it has so many botanicals that it enhances the flavour of many desserts. One of my favourites is Blackcurrant Creme Brulee.
Raspberrie Mille Feuille with homemade ice cream
The Czar Plums are ripening thus it will be a Czar Plum Sauce with the Gressingham Duckling breasts tonight on the menu. Courgettes are in abundance and the following recipe for Courgette cake will be for afternoon tea:
80g raisins, 4tblspn water, 280g flour, 1/2 tspn cinnamon, 1/4 tspn salt, 1/2 tspn baking powder, 1 and 1/2 tspn bicarbonate of sod, 120ml of olive oil, 150 g demarara sugar, 1/2 vanilla pod,
2 lightly beaten free range eggs, 1/2 kilo thinly sliced courgettes,
grated zest of a lemon, finely chopped stem ginger and 2 free range egg whites.
Grease and line 1 large or 2 small cake tins.
Pre heat the oven to 170C
Place the raisins in the water and simmer until the water has been absorbed.
Sift together dry ingredients.
In a bowl beat together the oil sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod. Add the eggs and beat until smooth and thick.
Mix in the courgettes, ginger, lemon rind and raisins, then fold in the dry ingredients. Finely beat the egg whites to a meringue texture and carefully add to the cake batter.
Pour into the tins and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours until firm (and a skewer comes out clean).
Leave to cool in the tins.
Mix together cream cheese, maple syrup and lemon juice.
Cut the cake in half horizontally, then fill and top the cake with the icing. Yum!
Tags: Best Food, Brockman's Gin, Courgette Cake Recipe, Eat Scotland, holiday-southern-scotland, Places to eat in Scotland, Scottish Food Guide, Slow Food, Wolsey Lodges
Posted in Best Restaurant, Fine Dining, Food, Gardening, Holiday Scotland, Luxury special offer breaks in Scotland, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
After some much needed rain everything is green and growing again! I made blackcurrant jam this morning and picked broad beans, french beans, spring onions and various salad leaves to mix with smoked Ayrshire Bacon, parmasan shavings, anchovies, free range eggs and olives for a delicious lunch.
As we still have some availability in July and August we have put together some special hot summer deals to tempt you to this beautiful unspoilt part of Scotland
If you are a ‘passionate foodie’ you will love it!
*Come and stay for a minimum of 4 nights (with dinner on a minimum of 3 nights) and receive 20% discount off the B&B price (Sunday to Thursday)
*Enjoy a weekend break away from it all and receive a free bottle of wine, with dinner. ( 2 nights)
*Walking Packages – from gentle walks to a bit more strenuous, to a real challenge (including free packed lunch and drop offs ) The walking in this enchanting area of natural beauty has amazing views with seascapes
, Southern Upland Way, Ayr River Way, Carrick and Galloway hills.
*Romantic Luxury Break with free bottle of Delamotte Brut, Champagne, (Established in the prestigious village of Le Mesnil. Champagne Delamotte is Chardonnays most refined in style and pedigree.One of the oldest Champagne houses, 250 years old this year.)
and Pamper Packages arranged at Pebble Spa. – minimum 2 nights
5*****Golfing breaks on delightful courses, for couples or small parties, in South West Scotland. Golfing itineraries arranged and a 3 night package will include 2 rounds of golf at Dunsky / Stranraer/ Brunston / or Girvan.
3 nights dinner B&B and 2 rounds of golf in the Ailsa or Iona Suite £295 per person / Garden room £265per person
Please quote ‘Summer Specials’ to claim any of these offers – subject to availability.
We are a Wolsey Lodge, that very special place to stay away from it all!
Tags: Best Food, Best Golf Courses in Scotland, favourite walks in Ballantrae, Romantic Locations, Slow Food, Special Offer Breaks, Summer Special offers, Walk Scotland, Where to stay, Wolsey Lodges
Posted in Best Restaurant, Cycling Scotland, Fine Dining, Food, Gardening, Gardens of Scotland, Holiday Scotland, Luxury special offer breaks in Scotland, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Walking Scotland, Wine and Whisky | Comments Off
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
The sun is shining again after 24 hours of lovely summer rain so all the plants are drenched, fresh and happy! Cosses has a beautiful hidden garden where guests can relax in a romantic setting soaking up the sun and the beauty. After the rain I can plant out the remaining bedding plants, cut back geraniums which have finished flowering and dead head roses and lupins. In Wolsey lodge tradition, our guests enjoy afternoon tea (lemon cake with strawberry jam yesterday) in the garden.
In the kitchen garden I have picked mange tout, carrots, courgettes, spinach, chard and beetroot as well as several varieties of potatoes; and strawberries and gooseberries this week. I made strawberry jam yesterday.
Our guests from Luxembourg wrote in our visitors book “What a wonderful place! Lovely hosts and Susan’s cuisine is absolutely out of this world!”
Tags: Best Food, Best gardens in Scotland, holiday-southern-scotland, Where to stay, Wolsey Lodges
Posted in Best Restaurant, Fine Dining, Gardening, Gardens of Scotland, Holiday Scotland, Home, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Wine and Whisky | Comments Off
Monday, June 21st, 2010
I just love these long summer evenings when it hardly ever seems to get dark. The cottage garden is a dream with lupins, delphiniums and roses, and the kitchen garden is beginning to produce an abundance of fruit, herbs and vegetables. The guests relax in the garden over afternoon tea with chocolate cake, whilst I select the evenings vegetables. There is a choice of Swift or Epicure potatoes; spring cabbage, spinach or Swiss chard, a gourmet selection of lettuce and lots of fresh herbs. Strawberries and gooseberries are in season, well matched with Elderflowers for faulous desserts.
i will be demonstrating at the Royal Highland show on Thursday, using all this seasonal produce.
Tags: Best Food, Highland Show, holiday-southern-scotland, perfect holidays, Romantic Locations, Slow Food, Wolsey Lodges
Posted in Best Restaurant, Fine Dining, Food, Gardening, Holiday Scotland, Home, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Wine and Whisky | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Wolsey Lodge guests arrived in their beautiful blue Riley, having been to a rally near Loch Lomond. Wolsey Lodges are a great place for vintage car owners to stay as they nearly always have safe discreet parking.
Tim with his Riley
Other guests, this week have had great walking experiences doing the first section of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, walking aroung Glen Trool, the first section of the Southern Upland Way from Port Patrick and out to St.Ninians Cave on the Isle of Whithorn.
The path down the Merrick towards Loch Trool
The garden is looking glorious and guests have enjoyed afternoon tea and breakfast in the garden. It has rained all day today and provided a much needed watering of the garden.
In the garden at Cosses Country House
Tags: Best Food, Best gardens in Scotland, Gardens of Scotland, holiday-southern-scotland, perfect holidays, Romantic Locations, Vintage Cars, Walking Scotland, Wolsey Lodges
Posted in Food, Gardening, Gardens of Scotland, Home, Romantic Holiday, Tourism, Vintage Cars, Walking Scotland | Comments Off
