Food intolerances and special diets

More and more people seem to be developing intolerances or allergies to more and more foods at the moment... with my complementary therapist hat on, I'm sure that there's a connection with the highly-processed diet, loaded with artificial additives, that has become so common.

At Exmoor House we try and cater for particular dietary requirements: vegetarian of course, and wheat-free/dairy-free diets for example (although, being out in the sticks, we do need a bit of notice to ensure we can get the right type of milk substitute, flour, etc, in). If you're coming to stay with us, please do let us know any strong dislikes in the food line too, so that we can plan accordingly - we really want the meals to be a highlight of your time here!

The other week, out of 10 guests staying with us, 5 couldn't eat wheat/gluten or dairy, and two couples had multiple allergies which meant we had to plan the menus very carefully indeed. This tested Frank's culinary ingenuity - it's good to be kept on your toes! - and we learnt some useful recipe variations (e.g. using coconut milk to make a white sauce).

Gluten-free baking involves slightly different techniques and we have had some things that didn't turn out as they should (concrete scones, anybody?) - but we've discovered some great recipes like a delicious carrot cake and a squidgy dark chocolate-almond cake... Maybe there needs to be another name for gluten-free bread, though, as it's not like 'real' bread in texture - more like crumpet, often. Not unpalatable, just different.

But as a friend of ours says: 'I think about what I can eat, rather than what I can't'.

Thinking about Christmas and New Year

Yes, it seems to be creeping up quite fast: it's November already, you know...

Have you decided what you're doing yet? How about a house party at Exmoor House? Over Christmas and New Year we're open solely for house parties.

The deal is that you get the whole place to yourselves for a stay of at least 2 nights, on a full board basis. We can take up to 12 people, in our 5 rooms (1 double, 3 double or twin, 1 family room sleeping up to 4).

It's a great opportunity to spend some quality time with family and/or friends, just eating, drinking, chatting by the fire, taking a stroll in the fabulous Exmoor countryside if you feel like it. A real escape, and totally relaxing.

We'll tailor-make a package for you - so prices will vary - depending on what you'd like in the way of food. A traditional turkey & Christmas pudding type feast with the Exmoor House touch? A sumptuous buffet? Something a bit different (a selection of delicious curries perhaps) - or all of the above?

If you're tempted, do get in touch with us to discuss. In order to plan everything, we'd need to have bookings confirmed before the end of this month.

Walking from Exmoor House: some of our favourite walks

We've discovered some great walks from our door over the last year or so. The most well-known is up to Dunkery Beacon and back, which you can do several different ways (e.g. via Luckwell Bridge or Snowdrop Valley) and make into a very long walk if you want to. On a clear day, the views from Dunkery Hill are absolutely stunning.
Some of our other favourites are to follow part of the Coleridge Way towards Luxborough, then turn off for a different route back to Wheddon Cross. Or you can walk through Cutcombe, then cut across the fields to East Wood, go down to Sully's Corner and back via Putham Lane.
The autumn colours are coming along nicely now so the woods are looking wonderful.
Many of the footpaths and bridleways follow old sunken lanes and former drover's roads - amazing to think that centuries ago these would have been the equivalent of motorways.

Food Fest a great success

The Exmoor Food Festival went really well this year, by all accounts. We certainly had a good number of people in to try our lunchtime tasting platters. Definitely worth doing again in 2010. We might do something similar to the tasting platters - somebody suggested we have tasters of puddings too - or maybe we'll have something different. We'll be promoting it here and on our website, as well as in our newsletter and via the Festival publications, of course.
If you thought about coming over for lunch but didn't make it, do remember that we can usually provide lunches for groups of 4 or more people, when booked at least 48 hours in advance (menu to suit - we'll discuss your requirements with you). And we're open most evenings for dinner - again, booking is essential.

Exmoor Tasting Platters - menu for Exmoor Food Festival

Book your table now for our 'lunch with a difference' - Exmoor Tasting Platters - served as part of the Exmoor Food Festival, 2nd - 11th October (12-2pm each day). For £8.50 a head you can choose 3 different tapas-style servings of things like our potted beef, spinach & garlic terrine, home-cured meats (e.g. smoked pork tenderloin), Somerset cheeses (including Exmoor Jersey Blue)... all served with salad, home-made breads and a choice of home-made pickles. You can add extra tasting portions too.
For pudding, why not try some of our wonderful home-made ice cream (which we make in some slightly unusual flavours like blackberry & elderberry) or a delicious, light and very chocolatey sponge...
To go with your meal we've some good local beers and Somerset ciders, a nice range of wines, organic soft drinks from Devon and tea and coffee from our local supplier.
Look forward to seeing you!

Red deer rutting on Exmoor

October's the red deer rutting season, and Exmoor is a great place to see (and hear) the stags in all their splendour. Here on Exmoor we have the largest concentration of wild red deer in Europe, as well as fallow deer and roe deer.
The Porlock Visitor Centre organises 'rutting weekends' each year, and there are a number of companies offering 4 x 4 safaris on the moor. The Exmoor National Park rangers also organise escorted walks.
Come and stay at Exmoor House for a few nights (being in Wheddon Cross, we're more or less right in the middle of the national park) and you can go in search of the deer herds...

Walking from Tarr Steps

Frank & I don't get out much when things are busy here at Exmoor House; but we had a free afternoon last week and went over to Tarr Steps - hadn't visited this part of Exmoor for a while. We did part of the Tarr Steps/Withypool circuit. Thought we could cross the river partway along, but in fact it's not possible so we returned the same way and came down the hill again! It was the most walking we'd done for a while... We saw deer (Bambi & his mum) and a rabbit too (must've been Thumper), as well as lots of birdlife - and sheep of course. There are the remains of some really old hedgebanks, which are very picturesque, all overgrown with moss. Some of the leaves are just starting to turn, but in general everything's still looking quite green. The heather continues to hold its own too - Dunkery Beacon, as seen from our dining room, is still very purple.