When it comes to romance there is little doubt that Grasmere takes the biscuit. Visitors flock to the Lake District village where the doyen of romantic poets William Wordsworth had three homes and is buried in the parish churchyard. And when they arrive in what Wordsworth called ‘the loveliest spot that man hath ever found’, they are spoilt for choice on how to celebrate their own romantic relationships.
This February there is a double dose of opportunities to let the one you love know of your affections, with St Valentine’s Day on the 14th and the Leap Day on the 29th being a day when tradition dictates that women can propose to men. One of Grasmere’s iconic brands is gearing up for an avalanche of love-linked purchases. Sarah Nelson’s Celebrated Grasmere Gingerbread has been supplying its unique biscuit-cum-cake at the former village school next to St Oswald’s Church for more than 150 years. The current guardian of the secret recipe, which is kept in the vaults of the Nat West Bank in Windermere, is Andrew Hunter. His wife and partner Joanne is from the third generation of the Wilson family who took over the inheritance. Their daughter Yasmine, the marketing manager, is the fourth.
‘This being leap year we expect to see lots of women ordering hearts with which to propose,’ said Joanne. A nine-inch version carrying the legend ‘Marry me’ is just one version that can be customised to secure a betrothal.
‘Gingerbread is used by lots of people to ask partners to marry them. It is a tradition going back to mediaeval times when gingerbread was considered an aphrodisiac.’
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Lancashire Life.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Lancashire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Shopper's Paradise
‘Anything is possible’ is the boast of a famous Knightsbridge shop and it could equally apply to Clitheroe, where shoppers come eager to pick up something just that little bit different, especially in the run-up to Christmas
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Around the world in 2000 paintings
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WALKING THE BORDER
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We will remember them
For a hundred years the Cenotaph has been the focal point for a nation’s grief, but few know its connection to Kirkby Lonsdale
A pawfect day out
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A LEGACY of LOVE
An unusual war memorial in Lancaster is a haven for wildlife and young people from the city