Carlisle Christmas Farmers Market 2025

Carlisle Cathedral, Cumbria. Saturday 06-December-2025.

We had booked a slot at the Christmas Farmers' and Makers' Market in the grounds of Carlisle Cathedral for a charity stall supporting Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths. The market is held once a month from 9am to 2pm. 

The objectives, as always, are raising awareness and raising money. The first consists of buttonholing passers by and asking if they knew of the baths, to then start the conversation about its history and our plans for the future. The second was to make use of tombola prizes which we had set up ready for Penrith Winter Droving in November. Unfortunately, that was cancelled due to a forecast of high winds so we had boxes of prizes all numbered up and ready to go.

It turned out to be a pretty damp day so the turnout was not nearly as good as we might have hoped and the ground around our gazebo was a mud bath. Nevertheless, we did have lots of interest in the baths, some very useful chats with locals and were happy with the amount raised considering the conditions. 

The Friends also decorated a Christmas tree in the crypt (along with various other charitable organisations such as the Round Table) as part of the cathedral's Christmas Tree Festival 2025. Yet another way of making people aware of the Baths.

Much of Sunday we spent cleaning the mud off the gazebo, tables and chairs, and boxes.

Edy Hurst at Theatre by the Lake

Keswick, Cumbria. Friday 05-December-2025.

We booked to see Edy Hurst performing “Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself“. The central conceit of this performance is that Edy is a direct descendant of one of the witches of Pendle*. This means he has wizardly powers which is the cue for some hyperactive spell casting. Interwoven with this is an obsession with the Vengaboys 1999 album The Party Album and their female vocalist Kim Sasabone.

We ignored the first rule of comedy club which is "Don’t sit in the front row". So when the time came for a "volunteer" from the audience, he picked on me, front row right by the aisle. Fortunately, nothing too embarrassing. Edy proceeded to deliver an hour’s worth of magick entertainment in a slapstick style that can best be described as manic! It was all quite a hoot really.

* Read more about the Pendle witches at Lancashire witch trials. 

Christmas Tastings - 2025

Bassenthwaite Lake Station, Cumbria. Thursday 04-December-2025. 

For the third year running we went to the Bassenthwaite Lake Station food and wine matching event to celebrate the festive season. We learned our lesson from the 2023 and 2024 Christmas tastings and were prepared for the ample snacks provided. We had a filling lunch and then a light snack at home before heading out to Bassenthwaite.

As a reminder, the train is a replica of The Orient Express built for the 2017 version of the film. I was informed that I was sitting in Johnny Depp’s chair. When you look at the poster for the movie and look closer at the fabric design for this chair you can see that it is indeed the very same. Unfortunately the similarities end there says Mary!

As well as buying the carriages of the movie set Simon and Diana obviously also purchased all the contents See [Bassenthwaite Lake Station: Our Story].

There were many Christmas jumpers and Santa hats on display, but the couple on the table next to us definitely win the prize for the best outfits.

Wine, ABV, Country, Supplier & Price. 

• Tasting notes 
• Food Pairing
• Mary‘s notes and star rating

1 Lachetea Cremant de Loire, brut, 12% France £16 Ocado 

• Lively, well structured, persistent effervescence, This Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc blend displays a touch of lemon and berry fruits. Lemon, tangerine, exotic fruits on the nose. Translucent, brilliant, pale yellow. Should cut nicely through the cream cheese. 
• Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Blini 
• Decent acidity, not completely bone dry, light nose and body. ✱

2 Trimbach Pinot Blanc, 13%, France £16 Booths Or Majestic £18.

• Made from Pinot Blanc and Auxxerois, this complex wine spends two years in bottle prior to release. Vinified dry, you'll discover fresh and elegant stone-fruit flavours. Its rich and rounded character makes it incredibly food-friendly. Enjoy as an apéritif, or with fish and poultry dishes. 
• Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Blini  
• Pale yellow; dry, Fuller nose, some spiciness on the nose; fuller body, peachy, good acidity. ✱✱

Preferred wine with food:
Mark - Trimbach Pinot Blanc;
Mary - ditto.

3 Belles Lettres Cote du Rhone Blanc, 2024, 13% France £10.50 Booths. 

• A special offering from the southern Rhone region. Grenache blanc is blended with Marsanne and a touch of Clairette to create this refreshing wine with hints of peach and honeysuckle. Should hold its own well with this rich velouté. 
• Parsnip and Chestnut Velouté 
• Pale lemon; slight green nose, some spicy; good body, peachy, lightly oily, decent Length. ✱✱

 4 Wynn's Coonawarra Chardonnay, 13.5% Australia £15.75 Booths 

• Lifted white peach and nectarine aromas, complemented by subtle nut and nougat flavours. Soft stone fruit, citrus and poached pear flavours linger on the fresh, lightly creamy palate. Flavoursome wine for a flavoursome soup! 
• Parsnip and Chestnut Velouté. 
• Very pale; vegetal nose (green pepper?); unoaked, clean, stone fruit, very slightly green, nice texture. ✱✱

Preferred wine with food:
Mark - Cote du Rhone Blanc;
Mary - Coonawarra Chardonnay.

5 Leyda Reserva Pinot Noir 2024, 13% Chile £13 Booths. 

• Bright ruby red colour. A fruity nose with strawberries, hints of red cherries and a subtle wild herb notes with a delicate smokiness and tobacco. Refined on the palate, juicy and full of ripe berry flavours, a hint of minerality and refreshing finish. Pinot Noir and turkey? A classic pairing! 
• Festive Turkey Bonbon 
• Light, pale mahogany; strawberry on nose, slight vegetal/herb; soft ripe, berries, slight mineral. ✱✱.

6 E. Guigal Cotes Du Rhone 2021, 14.5% France £15.75 Booths 

• Cotes du Rhone is characteristically supple and smooth, easy-drinking, appealingly fruity and full-flavoured with a twist of sweet spice on the finis, typical of the Grenache Noir and Syrah grapes. This would be at home with all sorts of rich meats and bold vegetable dishes. 
• Festive Turkey Bonbon 
• Dark purple; darker fruit, deeper nose; spicy, peppery, plum, good length. ✱✱✱

Preferred wine with food:
Mark - Pinot Noir;
Mary - Cotes Du Rhone.

7 Susana Balbio Crios 2023, 14% Argentina £14 Booths 

• A fresh, pure expression of the variety, this superior Malbec displays aromas of violets, cherries ahd spices. Fruity, with balanced acidity on the palate, notes of ripe red fruits and a subtle hint of oak. Hopeful of a perfect pairing with a roast! 
• Roast Beef and mini Yorkie with rich red wine jus 
• Dark purple; light chocolate, caramel? Dark fruit. Plum/damson, some astringency, soft dark fruit. ✱✱✱

8 D'Arrys Original 2020, 14.5% Australia £15.50 Booths 

• Deep, dark and brooding on the nose with delicious notes of black forest gateau. Grenache and Shiraz work well together to create a ripe and generous Australian red. Dark-berry flavours are joined by red-fruit and black olive notes on the finish that vill be fabulous with this rich dish. Wine Champion 2023 on Wine Society website. 
• Roast Beef and mini Yorkie with rich red wine jus  
• Dark mahogany; much softer/sweeter nose, Tobacco, slight vegetal/green pepper?; Spicy, pepper, dark fruit (black/redcurrant). ✱✱✱

Preferred wine with food:
Mark - D'Arrys Original;
Mary - ditto.

9 M&S Sweet Ruby Port, 20% Portugal £10 (on offer) Ocado 

• A powerful, rich, full-bodied wine with aromas and flavours of red berries like plums, cherries and strawberries. With balanced sweetness and a smooth, long finish, some tastings show a hint of dark chocolate and some spice which should be perfect with this dessert and strong cheeses. 
• Dark Chocolate and Cherry mousse, 2 Cheeses 
• No notes. ✱✱

10 Barbadillo Pedro Ximenez, 18.5% Spain £17.50 Ocado.

• This Barbadillo Pedro Ximenez Sherry offers an indulgent experience with its rich, sweet flavour profile. Made from sun-dried Pedre Ximenez grapes it boasts a deep, dark colour and intense notes of dried fruits, caramel and molasses. It is a perfect choice for rich chocolate desserts or strong, salty cheeses. 
• Dark Chocolate and Cherry mousse, 2 Cheeses
• No notes. ✱✱

Preferred wine with food:
Mark - Pedro Ximenez;
Mary - ditto.

The two puds and wines went equally well in both combination with both desserts and cheese. The last time I had Pedro Ximenez it was disgustingly sweet. This was much so much better; alcoholic raisin in a glass. As Mary is lactose intolerant they made a separate dessert for her. These are the two puddings.

Replete with fabulous food and wine, it was a short stroll back to The Pheasant for our usual beery nightcap and so to bed.