Exploring Middleton in Teesdale

Middleton in Teesdale is a pretty market town in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

It grew in the early 19th century after the London Lead Company located its northern headquarters there. This is commemorated with the drinking fountain, dating from 1877, presented in honour of Mr RW Bainbridge, who was superintendent of the company.

I love the tap in the shape of a hedgehog.

There are 2 pubs, The Teesdale Arms, serving local ales, and traditional food, and The Forresters, a French restaurant, which has regular themed evenings, such as crepes or moules.

There are several cafes; our favourite is  Cafe 1618, where we've had lunch and coffee.

It has its "bistro at the back", Number 17, which we're looking forward to trying.

Middleton is a stop on both the Pennine and Teesdale ways, and is an excellent location for walking. We have several books of walks and are designing walks of our own.

A Weekend of Firsts

Over Easter we had our first guests, who arrived bearing gifts of food and drink. We had a most enjoyable weekend exploring the local area, and an evening around the Aga, with the young people beating us at Articulate.

After a hearty breakfast of Yorkshire sausages and bacon, with scrambled eggs from our hens, Simon was out building our first vegetable bed. We have a small walled garden right next to the house, which the previous owners probably used for fruit and vegetables, but appears to have been left fallow for some years. It's now slightly overgrown, but is ideal for a bit of experimental vegetable growing.

Our house in Yorkshire is less than 20' above sea level; Ladybird Farm is over 750' and 80miles further north, so a different prospect for growing. The soil here is heavier than the silty sandy loam we had in Yorkshire. It's full of stones when you dig more than a spade's depth, so root vegetables such as parsnip and carrot may be a challenge.


Using canes and chicken wire left by the previous occupants, Simon built a small rabbit-proof cage, and planted a handful of broad beans. Known as Frank's Winter Beans, these are a variety selected over the years by our neighbour, and have been extremely hardy.

Seeds were planted and we look forward to our first crop, and this delicious crushed broad bean recipe, delicious with pork, sausages, or as a vegetarian dish.