Relax with Sherrie time
Sherrie celebrates the beauty of the Lakes and recalls an rather unexpected dip…
Hello readers,
I don’t live too far from the glorious Lake District, which is so beautiful, from its rolling hills and misty mountains to romantic castles, art galleries and stately homes.
This isn’t a commercial for the area by the way, I’m just constantly surprised how amazing our country is and what it has to offer. We just don’t always realise how rich our island is in picturesque beauty.
For instance, there are 16 lakes in the Lake District but only one ‘official lake’, Bassenthwaite Lake, the rest are meres, meaning a body of water that is broad rather than deep. I’m not a good sailor; water has always scared me since my brother pushed me in the deep end of a swimming pool when I was four. I do appreciate the absolute beauty of water, though.
As for food, look no further. The area is also known for excellent restaurants; five have a Michelin star – very impressive! But there plenty of other wonderful options without the elevated price tag.
Did you know the Cumbrian sausage, their pride and joy, is on the list of Britain’s protected foods? Two feet long, quarter of an inch thick and 80 per cent meat, with no nasties, no wonder it’s protected!
‘The next thing I knew I was over the side’
And liars are celebrated too – but only for one day in November! It’s a contest to find the biggest liar in the world. It takes place in the local inn at Santon Bridge in the Wasdale Valley if you’d like to enter. One such lie told was that the turnips were so big the locals could partly eat them for lunch then use them to shelter their sheep. They either had very tiny sheep or extremely large parsnips, who knows?
Sticky toffee pudding was invented in the Lake District. Apparently the actual recipe is still a secret there! I’ve done a show here too – Five Go Caravanning, with Tony Blackburn, Colin Baker, Brian Capron and pop legend Sonia. We were in the Lakes for ten days in glorious hot weather. It was an amazing adventure, until we were told we were going out on Ullswater in little sailing boats. We were all seated in the boat, wearing our lifejackets when someone shouted 'duck!' An arm came over as the boat turned but I still didn’t duck the sail.
The next thing I knew I was over the side, bum in the air, being dragged back in by two rather gorgeous boys. The laughter still rings in my ears!