Cheese Please Louise

lovely soft cheese with a hint of garlic, with creamy soft cheese for afters

Pex Tenement Cheese Company make fabulous organic cheeses in their dairy on the Todmorden hillside.  They use their own organic milk, from their organic cows who graze on their organic fields.  I know that beautiful hillside well but it took a town dweller to tell me something new about it. While walking through the lush grass she said "it smells of butter". That sums up for me what's so good about the cheese - from the grass, to the cow, to your plate.  The taste of Todmorden!

Carl will be bringing a range of cheeses to try and buy at the Meet the Makers Market at Hebden Town Hall  and his laptop with his informative and entertaining presentation about the company. 

Valley born and bread

final result!

It's all a blurrrrr of activity!!

Well that's my excuse.  The day I visited The Bakehouse they wouldn't stand still long enough for a duffer like me to take a photo!  

But the aroma as well as the industry was very impressive. They're making  Real Bread and it comes in many delicious varieties all organic.  As well as Better bred white and brown and variety breads like olive, Moor Ale, chocolate and currant (mmm) and bagels there's a range of sourdough breads - Cragg Crusty, Mytholmroyd Maslin and Royd Rye. 

Sourdough is a natural slow process for leavening bread and it's all a bit mysterious.  Never fear they'll be sharing the secrets with us at the Meet the Makers Market at Hebden Town Hall on October 5th. Sourdough starters and instructions on how to do it! And they'll have plenty to sample and buy.
yum, yum and again yum!

The Weavers Tale

Nicola with a beautiful cushion

Nicola Winters loves colour, pattern and variety and she loves weaving them together. After qualifying as a stained glass artist at college she found that the responsibility of all that breakable glass was not for her so she took her inspiration and planning skill, went from sharp to soft and took up weaving.

Now based at Northlights Studio in Hebden Bridge she plans to start offering workshops; a beginners day course, and a three day course for those wanting to go further and learn how to warp a loom.  Both will be reasonably priced and Nicola will only have 2 students at a time as it's engrossing work that demands concentration.  This is great news for budding weavers as courses in this dying art are so difficult to find.

At the Meet the Makers Market Nicola will have a loom with the warp ready for anyone who wants to have a go at making a little bookmark.  A simple twill design is planned, just like the famous Harris Tweed!  So come along to Hebden Bridge Town Hall on October 5th and get weaving.....

Soap Glorious Soap!

soap stamping

Back in 2008 Rob and Geoff of Calder Valley Soaps were working at Suma but were looking to move into manufacturing of some sort. By chance they were able to buy the business that was supplying soap to Suma. Since then they've gone from strength to strength, continuing to make bespoke soaps and building their own brand Elphin Soaps. that sells in shops from Lands End to Aberdeen. 

They're enthusiastic about the cold pressed process which retains the glycerin in the ingredients.  This process is 2000 years old and makes the gentlest soap.  (Apparently the mainstream soap industry sells the glycerin back to us in the form of moisturisers and creams!)  Rob and Geoff are meticulous in their sourcing and are always looking to improve their methods.  All products are fairtrade, vegan and cruelty free, and they're even moving towards replacing fairtrade palm oil with a blend of sunflower and coconut oil.  For perfume and colour they only use herbs, spices and essential oils.

At the Meet the Makers Market at Hebden Town Hall as well as buying some lovely natural products, we'll be able to see the soap being cut into bars and have a go at stamping a motif in a bar ourselves.  So come along and clean up folks!

mmmm..what's that beautiful scent?

throw me a pot!

student potters at work

Prospective potters alert! Edyn Culverwell, of The Old Stables Studio , is offering a rare opportunity - the chance to learn how to throw a pot on a proper potter's wheel. At her rather magnificent home studio experienced students and beginners alike can learn this esoteric and ancient art (and enjoy some lovely food, by the way).

Originally a Fine Art graduate, Edyn's political involvement lead her into community arts, where she concentrated mainly on screenprinting. These days though she doesn't feel the need to explain the meaning of her work, for her the process is enough - just making and more making. She runs evening and weekend courses for a maximum of 6 students or you can come with lots of friends and have a hen party or childrens party. And as I said before the food is lovely!

Edyn is bringing this portable wheel to the Meet the Makers Market at Hebden Bridge Town Hall on October 5th.  She'll move over and let you have a go if you ask nicely!

the cat that got the cream

Jane in her showroom

With a background in social care Jane has always been inspired by the therapeutic effect of arts and crafts. Her Nana Kitty, a smart and dignified lady who suffered for many years from Altzeimers, always used to say that 'the hat was the main part of the outfit' and this inspired Jane to start Kitty Couture Hats . An elegant hat can be a real confidence booster for a special occasion, and Jane has the answer for all budgets and inclinations. At her beautiful house in Todmorden she has a lovely showroom where you can buy or hire a stunning hat. And for hands-on types she's designed a range of lovely DIY kits that she'll be introducing at the Meet the Makers Market .

You'll be able to choose from four different pill box shapes that you can customise, or for beginners there will be felt flower brooch making.  So we're taking our hats off to Jane and inviting you to come along and meet her at the Meet the Makers Market on October 5th at Hebden Bridge Town Hall !

light my fire!

Emily's natural habitat?

I met Emily from the the Tinderwood Trust Forest School this week and I forgot to take her photograph! Doh! so I had to go out in the woods and take a photo of where you might find her.

Please click on the link and read all about the Forest School - I can't do it justice here. Suffice to say it's an educational approach that gives children hands-on experience of making and doing all sorts of things outside in the natural environment. Emily is bringing some exciting stuff to the Meet the Makers Market.  She'll be outside in the square at Hebden Town Hall whatever the weather lighting a fire!!! AND teaching everyone to light their own fire without matches!! (I'm so excited about this, I cannot speak.)  And there will be whittling of sticks so that you can put a marshmallow on the end and toast it!

I think what Forest Schools do just sums up "making and doing" - gaining confidence and a sense of achievement and pleasure in the process.  And I think you will see this in the work that our makers produce. See you there!

3 simple reasons to make and do

 

1. It's good for mental and physical health. When your mind and body are engaged it keeps all your systems tuned and ready to go.

2. It develops confidence. When you get skilled at something you know that you're capable of learning, and it encourages you to try new challenges. 

3. You get an end product that you can keep, use, give away or even sell. Something that will last and that has meaning and a story.

Drums in the Valley

Oxana and some delicious Cornholme community beans

Heard the sound of the drums and ever wondered what it felt like to make that sound? Now's your chance guys! Oxana, from the Todmorden frame drum group will be running a couple of mini workshops for us at the Meet the Makers Market on October 5th. Six or so people can take part at a time and sessions will last about 30 minutes. All you need to do is turn up, preferably early on, and say you want to have a go. No obligation, just fun.

Oxana, who is originally from the Ukraine, loves to drum and she says frame drumming helps her connect to "the sources of power and joy within herself."  Having listened to, and watched her drum for just a few minutes I thought it looked exciting, but soothing and gentle all at the same time. In fact quite enchanting! You don't have to be musical so I might even give it a bash (or should I say tap).

Oxana will also have details of all the sessions she runs in the community.

If you're wondering about the significance of the beans? Oxana works at the Old Library Community Hub in Cornholme and they've got beans (community beans taste better than supermarket beans)

Making Mosaic

Sakinah in her studio

Sakinah Haq has been making beautiful mosaic pieces for 6 years now and at the same time she's been getting herself an HND at Todmorden College.  She loves the idea of recycling and her mirrors, frames and wall pieces are all made using broken crockery and other found pieces. "People bring me the bits whenever they break something and I also love collecting beach glass. I had a particularly good haul of old pieces last year in Cragg Vale after the floods uncovered stuff that had been buried for years."

Sakinah has a space at Brooklyn Studios and is one of the organisers of Hebdenbridge Open Studios.  You can buy her work at Spirals on Market St, Hebden Bridge.

At the Meet the Makers Market Sakinah will be working at her table demonstrating how she puts the pieces together, and we'll be able to talk to her about her work and her methods. Looking forward to it Sakinah!

fitting it all together

The Longest Bunting in the World

only 5 miles to go!

 

 

Last week I met up with Sharon and Elaine, two of the masterminds behind the Cragg Vale Longest Bunting in the World attempt.  As part of the festivities before Le Grand Depart next year Cragg Vale Community Association are organising the sewing together of approximately 32000 flags (hope my maths is right).  Then they're going to hang them up all the way from the bottom to the top of the longest hill in England (Cragg Vale that is) - 5 and a half miles!!  Gulp!!  Thereby getting themselves into the Guinness Book of Records and a lot of recognition for the fantastic community that is Cragg Vale.  After all there's only going to be a world wide television audience of hundreds of millions in 188 countries!!  That's all.....

So....at their stall at the  Meet the Makers Market you'll get a chance to have a go at decorating some flags.  There'll be piles of flags and lots of lovely stuff - fabric paints and pens, ribbons, buttons and so on.  And if you're inspired they'll be only too pleased to show you how you can get involved.  It's a big task and there's already a team of people working round the clock getting it off the ground (and I'm hardly exaggerating here) 

We're really excited and we hope you will be too.  See you there!