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A Taste of Italy We are looking forward to next Wednesday when Mary Wilkins hosts 'A Taste of Italy' Demo & Dine Lunch at Cragend Grange. Preparations are being made to make sure everything is ready for all our guests. Pasta making and Italian wine tasting, along with many other delicious flavours of Italy. To book your place contact www.marywilkinscookery.co.uk or call Lo ...

As well as having two new lambs to add to our flock, I have been busy planting autumn raspberry plants and blackcurrant bushes in the Farmhouse garden. I have potted some of the smaller specimens up ready for our Plant Sale when we have our Open Day on 14th June. It is a lovely time of year when the Daffodils are out and the weather is fair enough to start the summer planting. ...

The Sandstone Way is a new 120 miles (192km approx) mountain biking route between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Hexham along the Sandstone Ridge in North Northumberland linking numerous sandstone features, crags and outcrops. The route traverses through an amazing ever-changing landscape which is rich in history, geological features and iconic scenery. The Sandstone Way links numerou ...

Farm graffitti dating from 1880 to Post-War has been found in the top floor on the  lime plaster of the barns. ...

The Silo was designed and built by Lord Armstrong of Cragside to make silage for his Prize Shorthorn Beef Cattle that were housed here at Cragend Farm. It is a Grade II* listed building of National Importance because it gives historians an insight into the Agricultural Industrial Revolution that occurred in Victorian England. Silage was a new commodity in the 1880's but was tho ...

Half-terms Dates: Rooms available for Bed & Breakfast. 10th - 17th February 2017 17th - 26th February 2017 £120 for 2 people and £140 for a family of 4 including breakfast per night. ...

The Santa letters have been written, and the boxes of decorations are being opened. Only a few weeks until our first Christmas "Cocktails and Canapes' Cookery Class with Mary Wilkins on 2nd December with the Grand Finale for 2016 of "Christmas Fayre" on the 14th December. Book now www.marywilkinscookery.co.uk ...

Witches' markings: "Public urged to check their house for strange symbols carved into the walls by Historic England".   When we saw this headline today, 31st October 2016 Halloween, we thought we must write a blog about the ones we have near the front Door in our Hall. Carved into the lime plaster near the entrance there are several markings, with one very clear Daisy Wheel. ...

Mary Wilkins and Lou Renwick took cooking equipment and ingredients along to Cambo Village Hall, Northumberland to entertain the local W.I. Group in October 2016. Lou gave a talk on the history of Cragend Farm and the renovations that are on going. The talk included viewing examples of items found on the farm during the renovations, including a cannon ball, a hedge splitter and ...

We are always pleased to meet the interesting people at Cragend who come through our doors, but none more so than the delightful Cleo and Mark Butterfield who came to stay with us whilst visiting Woodhorn Archives and Northumberland. They are fabulous collectors of Vintage Clothing, and were so interesting about some old dresses and fans we told them about that are family heirl ...

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your fantastic farm on the Historic Houses tour on Tuesday. We both agree that it was the most interesting HHA visit we have ever done - and we have done many over the years! We had no idea of the extent of the Armstrong connection or what you have there, having visited Cragside on so many occasions in the past 50 years or so. And indeed looked down on the farm from the walks at Cragend quite recently. We particularly enjoyed ascending and descending the ladders to look at the hydraulic equipment and get an idea of how it all functioned, the beautiful and unusual buildings which had housed the cattle, and were intrigued by the contents of your "underground " loo! Peacocks and chicks, hens and a beautiful pet lamb added to the feel of the farm.

Shaun & Lou Renwick are keen to harness the farm's natural resources, using wood to heat their water, to cook with on a wood burning range, and to heat the houses on the Farm. Even if your house is not equipped to totally run on wood there are things you can do to make sure you are using the best quality wood for your fires.

Why use Seasoned Wood?

Seasoned wood is a definition for 'wood drying'. About 5% of the energy of the log is wasted through evaporation and heating the water vapour of damp logs.

Moisture effects the burning process with unburnt hydrocarbons going up the chimney, which can in time create 'sooting' in the chimney, with the possibility of a chimney fire, all of which requires specialist sweeping.

Drying the wood before burning reduces moisture content in the wood before it is used for burning,

Air drying is the most traditional method, and it takes time. usually over and above 2 years! The fire will use less energy to burn the log if the water content is below 20%. Therefore is can give OUT more energy in the form of heat!

Cragend Farm endeavours to provide their customers with the best seasoned wood possible.

if you would like further information on the process of burning wood please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Why seasoned wood?

Thank you so much Lou and Shaun for a great holiday break on your farm at Cragend last week. East Cottage was a super place to stay. Very comfortable accommodation with everything we needed for self-catering and situated next to the beautiful Cragside National Trust gardens. It was super for our dog with fields to walk across as well as a secure fenced place for her to run off lead! Such interesting history too about the farm and how you have restored the buildings, the Victorian silo and so much else of the past farming life at Cragend. We look forward to returning! J&M Nottingham.

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