Hartland Quay

Today we spent some time exploring Hartland Quay. So thrilled that there are still such amazing places within an hour of here that we can yet discover!

We had planned to visit Clovelly with a friend, but the weather was horrible, so we thought a sheltered garden, owned by the same family as owns Clovelly village, would be more fun. The garden is amazing, and has beautiful cliff top walks as well, and the sun soon came out.

Trebarwith Strand today!

May Bank Holiday

The sun is out, it is chilly, but clear and beautiful.  We have some availability over the May Bank Holiday.  If you are interested in a break in Cornwall, give me a ring, 01840 770 592, or email, info@michael-house.co.uk.  Hope to see you!

Easter availability

hi all, we have some availability over Easter still. We have had none of the wintery weather some places have experienced, have had some rain, now a nice day outside. Hope to see you.

a younger Velvet, trying to fit in the cat basket.

Vegan cookery workshops

Vegan Cookery Workshops, 2013



At Michael House, Vegan and Vegetarian guest house

Near Tintagel, on the beautiful north Cornwall coast

Do you prepare vegan food, for yourself or others? Or are you curious about vegan food? These workshops may give you some added inspiration! 2 days, includes two lunches and 1 dinner, £50.00 per person, plus accommodation if needed at normal rates. Minimum 2 people, maximum, 5. Lots of recipes and ideas to take away. Hands on, we will prepare at least 10 dishes, and then we will eat them! See over for examples of what we may prepare.



Just Desserts – well, almost - 23rd and 24th March



Introduction to vegan cooking

13th and 14th April



Vegan Christmas

23rd and 24th November

and 7th and 8th December



All workshops, 11am – 4pm, plus dinner on the Saturday

11am – 2pm on the Sunday

I am always happy to offer workshops to fit your dates and requirements if possible, just let me know what you need and we will see if we can make it work

www.michael-house.co.uk

info@michael-house.co.uk

01840 770 592





Examples of what we may prepare:



Carrot and coconut soup

Quinoa filled peppers with capers, toasted almonds and rich

tomato sauce

Nut roast

Chocolate pots, see recipe below

Bakewell tart

Spice crusted tofu with lemon and maple syrup, courtesy Rose Elliot

Roasted vegetables with minted cous-cous

Pancakes, sweet and/or savoury

Chocolate and pecan tart – ‘Another dinner is possible’

Apple tart

Walnut pate en-croute, Christmas workshop only, Rose Elliot

French onion soup

Mushroom, puy lentil and walnut pate

Chocolate cupcakes –‘Vegan Cupcakes take over the world’

Mezze



Chocolate pots

Rose Elliot, ‘Vegan Feasts’

100g/3.5oz vegan dark chocolate, broken into pieces

250ml/8floz soya cream

1 tbsp rum, cointreau, or another liqueur, or none!

Grated chocolate to decorate



Melt chocolate in a bowl over hot water, mix in the cream and alcohol if using. Put into little cups or pots. Chill, serve with nuts, orange zest, chocolate etc sprinkled over. So delicious, so simple!



Bookings will be confirmed on receipt of a £25.00 deposit

per person. Please discuss any particular areas you would

like included in your workshop.

Vegan Cookery Workshops, start of 2013

Vegan Cookery Workshops, Spring 2013




Following the success of the workshops before Christmas, we are offering the following in early 2013;



Introduction to vegan cooking – 25th – 27th January and 1st – 3rd March

For those new to vegan cooking or seeking additional ideas who often cook vegan meals for themselves or others. The programme will be as follows:

• Arrive on Friday evening, eat supper with other guests

• Breakfast Saturday morning, as normal

• Start around 11am, hands on preparation of a simple vegan lunch. Eat that. Then, plan and make a vegan meal for supper. Finish around four.

• Supper we have cooked together served as normal in evening at agreed time

• Sunday, after breakfast, work together on simple lunch. Finish in early afternoon.

Cost, inclusive of accommodation, full board, two nights, £160 per person, based on two sharing. No problem if partner non participatory, they will pay £68 bed and breakfast (£34.00 per night), plus any meals they have. £40 single supplement. £50.00 for non residents, includes supper on the Saturday, simple lunches. Minimum 2 people, maximum, 5.

Just desserts – well, almost - 8th-10th February

Vegan desserts so often get forgotten, and I am on a mission to improve what is available! The format will be the same as above, there will of course be a main course prepared, but the focus of this workshop will be on producing interesting, decadent desserts. Costs and other details, as above.

I am always happy to offer workshops to fit your dates and requirements if at all possible, just let me know what you need and we will see if we can make it possible.



Autumn and Spring breaks


Three nights for the price of two, with evening meals, - £262, double or twin en-suite room, or £246, room with private bathroom. This is a saving of £68 or £60. Applies from the beginning of October until the week before Easter, excluding Christmas and the New Year. It applies to double or twin occupancy of rooms only. More than one of these offers can be taken in succession. It is only offered with the inclusion of three course evening meals. 5% or other reductions do not apply.

We are full this weekend for the next cookery workshop. We are also full over Christmas, but we do have some availability for New Year, normal prices, we do not put on anything special for New Year, as people have such different requirements of that time! No price increases for next year.

Vegan Cookery Workshop

We have just completed the first cookery workshop at Michael House.  It was Christmas themed, plus dishes for other meals.  We prepared Christmas pudding, French onion soup, mint and lemon sorbet, bakewell tart, braised red cabbage, walnut pate en-croute, sweetcorn chowder, chocolate and pecan tart, scrambled tofu, potato rosti, and discussed the vegetable preparation, and the recipes for the other dishes I made were included in the recipe details for participants, carrot and coconut soup, nut roast and chocolate pots.  I think it went well, we all had a fun time!  The next course in two weeks time is full, look out for details of others in the New Year.

You are invited to




Crafts at

Michael House



Trelake Lane, Treknow, PL34 0EW



Friday, 30th Nov. 5 – 8 pm

Saturday 1st Dec. and

Sunday 2nd Dec.

11am – 5pm



Hand crafted, locally made gifts, including:



Cakes, pottery, scarves,

wooden giftware, metalware, pictures, jams, chutneys, cards, decorations, order your

Christmas wreath



Enjoy a free glass of mulled wine or soft drink as you browse



Free entry

info@michael-house.co.uk

Half term

We still have some availability over half term, next week.  Hope to see you.

Three nights for the price fo two

Our '3 for 2' offer starts on Monday 1st October until the week before Easter next year, excluding Christmas and New Year.  As long as you have supper each night, you only pay for two night's bed and breakfast, based on two sharing a room.  Total cost for three nights, two people, is £262 for an en-suite room, £246 for the room with private bathroom.  Saving of £68 or £60.

The Old Post Office, Tintagel

Events at Michael House, autumn 2012




Cookery workshops



We are offering vegan cookery workshops for the first time this autumn.



Vegan Christmas

23rd – 25th November, or

7th – 9th December



Suitable for those moving to a vegan lifestyle, long term vegans seeking new ideas and those who cook for vegans, or anyone who is interested. Aim to be fun, with demonstrations, discussions, a little hands on, idea sharing, very informal. We will cover 4 courses of a Christmas dinner, main dish being walnut pate en-croute, adapted from Rose Elliot, and then eat it in the evening! Sunday we will make breakfast and a simple lunch. Recipes to take away.



Introductory cost, inclusive of accommodation, full board, two nights, £160 per person, based on two sharing. No problem if partner non participatory, they will pay £68 bed and breakfast, plus any meals they have. £40 single supplement. £50.00 for non residents, includes supper on the Saturday, simple lunches and two glasses wine. Minimum 3 people, maximum, 6.

Look out for more workshops in the new year. Why not give this as a gift to someone?



Christmas at Michael House 2012



Fancy being looked after and spoiled over the Christmas period? Get away from it all, relax, walk and have tea by the open fire at Michael House, followed by delicious festive meals! We are offering a four night break over Christmas again this year, as follows:

Arrive on Monday 24th December, in time for afternoon tea and a 3 course evening meal.

On Christmas Day, have a leisurely breakfast, which will precede a four course Christmas dinner in the early/mid afternoon. Supper will be buffet style.

Boxing Day, another leisurely breakfast and a light lunch if you would like it. Afternoon tea will again be served by the fire, and a three course evening meal will follow.

On Thursday 27th, breakfast, afternoon tea and a three course supper will be on offer. Guests will depart on the Friday morning, after breakfast.

Four nights, partly full board, £325 per person for the en-suite rooms, and £275 for the room with private bathroom. A single supplement will apply.

Bookings for earlier or later dates will be at the normal rate.

‘What a fabulous way to spend Christmas…thanks for all the cosseting and pampering – we really needed it’



info@michael-house.co.uk 01840 770 592 www.michael-house.co.uk

or find us on Facebook

Availability

We have availability this weekend if anyone is thinking of visiting Cornwall, and the weather forecast is not too bad. Don't hold me to that if it rains the whole weekend though...

An update on our trial with offering non dairy milk only -  we have reluctantly decided, following some people requesting dairy milk, to have dairy milk available for now, but to provide opportunities for guests to try other milks.  We now have a little fridge in the dining room, which will hold soya, dairy and other milks for use in the bedrooms.

We have some availability before and after the Bank Holiday and into the beginning of September.  Hope to see you soon.

between weds 25th July and August 7th, we do have some availability. The weather is gorgeous just now, hope to see you soon!

In the light of the announcement today that the cull of badgers is to go ahead, we have decided to stop serving all dairy products at Michael House for a trial period.  The hypocrisy of vegans supporting the dairy industry has sat uncomfortably for some time, this seems like an ideal opportunity to move forward.  We will keep copious amounts of soya, rice and possibly almond milks for guests, and will put our little flasks of soya milk in the rooms.  We will seek feedback on this and make it very clear to people so that they know what to expect when booking.

Vegan cupcakes.

8fl oz soya milk

1 tsp vinegar - cider vinegar is best

5oz caster sugar

3fl oz vegetable oil

1 and half tsp vanilla extract

4oz plain flour

1 and half oz cocoa pdr

Three quarters tsp bicarbonate of soda

Half tsp baking pdr

Quarter tsp salt

Preheat oven to 175 C. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk soya milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle. Then add sugar, oil and vanilla and beat until foamy. In separate bowl, sift and mix flour, cocoa pdr, bicarb, baking pdr and salt. Mix into wet ingredients, I do all the process in a mixer. Pour into liners, three quarters fill. Bake 18 - 20 minutes. Eat hot or allow to cool and spread with 'buttercream', or decorate.

 

Buttercream - I find half this quantity is plenty

3 oz vegan marge

Half tsp vanilla essence

6 oz sieved icing sugar

2 oz sieved cocoa pdr



Whizz together and smother cakes!



Courtesy 'Vegan cupcakes take over the world' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero



Another nice one is shortbread, I make a hazelnut shortbread with strawberries dessert, but you could adapt it to be more cakey. It is by Delia, form her vegetarian collection. I use the little vanilla desserts or custard for the middle, but the shortcakes alone would be lovely.

Special offer, fabulous weather forecast.  15% discount on bed and breakfast for stays until Friday 1st June, any number of nights.  You must stay between today (21st May) and depart by Friday 1st June.  Please mention that you have seen this here, or on Facebook!

Happy Easter to everyone.

We do have some availability over Easter, if you are thinking of coming to Cornwall.  Hope to see you!

Dog food?  My favourite