The first month of the year is over!  January usually feels a long month but this year it seemed to fly by!  We have painted and freshened up the B&B ready for a busy 2023!

Dark, cold days always want to make me bake and keep the cupboards stocked with home baking.

Nothing better on a snowy day than to be cosy in the house with a cuppa and a bit of knitting. 
The snow didn't last long and the weather got much more pleasant to get out and about.

Tullyhogue Fort on a sunny, January, Saturday morning.

The beauty of nature. Snowdrops.  I love to see the first snowdrops popping up.  It is a sign that Spring is on it's way.
The very last day of January brought the most perfect rainbow.

We ended January on a high.  So proud to have achieved a 9.7 in the Traveller Review Awards from Booking.com.
Makes it worth all the hard work.

And just like that we have arrived at the last month of the year!  This year really seems to have flown by.
I love Christmas and the run up to Christmas but it does get very hectic.  Every year I tell myself that I will take time out, to be able to sit and relax and enjoy the twinkling of the Christmas lights and every year it works for the first wee while, then the pace picks up and before you know it life is as hectic as ever! But, sure, it's worth a try.

Taking time out to enjoy a little bit of Christmas shortbread.  I am not very good at keeping plants alive but I do buy a Christmas Cactus every year and I am very proud of the fact that they are still alive and that they flowered in December!!

I do like to make the B&B look festive and I do think there is something nice about the twinkle of coloured lights and that they brighten a dark, cold, winter morning.

I may be biased, but I think Cookstown is the nicest town at Christmas.  Other towns have the white lights on trees but none of them have as long a main street.  It really does look stunning to see so many lit trees all in a line.

A wee trip to Belfast and to the Christmas Markets got us into the Christmas spirit.

Finally, a couple of winter morning sunrises!!
Happy New Year from Manorview B&B.
​Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023 x

November has
continued to be a busy month in the B&B.
It's a month when life is a little bit quieter, sandwiched between the run up to Halloween and the beginning of the festive season.
It allows time to to relax a little before the real hustle and bustle of Christmas starts.

There were some beautiful days to get outside and enjoy the autumn colours before the leaves all fall off the trees.

I absolutely love mince pies! I don't allow myself to have any until after Halloween but the first Sunday in November, I have one for breakfast!!

There were foggy mornings and frosty mornings.

Every November I promise myself that I will be more organised for Christmas so that I am able to enjoy the run up to Christmas Day.  This year I am determined to read 'A Christmas Carol'.  I haven't read it for years so I am going to make a point of taking half an hour every day with a cuppa and read!

In November 2020 we rehomed Healy.  He hadn't been treated well at all and was very nervous of humans.  Two years down the road he still has issues but has improved immensely. He is such a sweet natured boy and we just love him to bits

I love Autumn and this year the weather has been really good and I have been able to get out and about and enjoy the changing colours of the season.  I don't think I can remember an October when the weather has been so mild!

There is so much more pleasure going to the North Coast at this time of the year.  No sitting in queues and trouble finding a parking space.  It's a real bonus to sit outside having a coffee, taking in the sea view.

Loughgall Country Park is about a twenty minute drive from Manorview.  Set in the middle of orchard country there are lots of walks, fishing and golf.  A great way to spend a morning.

One of the lovely Autumn sunrises, showing off the changing colours of the leaves.

The Ulster American Folk Park is about half an hour from the B&B.  I absolutely love going to it.  It tells the story of the Mellon family who emigrated from outside Omagh to America, following their journey from here, on to the ship and creating a new life in America.

The beauty of Autumn.

The end of October, of course, brings Halloween.  For as long as I can remember we had Scotch Dumpling for tea on Halloween night.  My Grandmother used to make one for each of her sons and we usually had it fried with bacon.  I have carried on the tradition using Nana's recipe and it always brings back lovely memories of Halloween spent with her.

September has been another busy month in the B&B, with guests from all over the world. It feels so good to have business almost back to normal.  Now as we head into October, the pace of life in the B&B will slow a lilttle and there will be a little more time to catch up on all the little things that need done, time to embrace all things autumnal and time to be less rushed in the kitchen.

One thing that couldn't wait was marmalade making.  We use a lot of marmalade!!

I have used 'The Barefoot Contessa' recipe for a long time now.  It uses ordinary oranges rather than seville oranges.  It has a much more fruity taste and it can be made all year round.

Toast and marmalade (or a warm croissant with marmalade) is one of my favourite breakfasts.

My Mum turned 87 at the end of September.  She loves all things ginger and she also loves marmalade, so for her birthday I made her a sticky ginger and cinnamon cake and spread marmalade over the top of the cake when it was still warm.  It is a beautiful combination.  I also made a batch of 'pupcakes' for Penny, her dog. Four years ago, on her birthday, Mum decided to buy herself a golden retriever pup.  They now celebrate their birthdays together!

Penny is such good company for Mum but she is most definitely a diva!!

And just like that Summer is over, children are going back to school and Autumn weather is just around the corner!

We returned at the beginning of August after two weeks in Portugal, refreshed and relaxed after feasting on Pastel de Nata and Piri Piri Chicken and soaking up the sun, ready for a very busy August in the B&B!

The B&B has been super busy from we came home and it has been wonderful to welcome people from all over the world again.  Things certainly seem to be returning to normal after the pandemic!

The weather in August has been pretty good and the sunshine shows everything at its best.

The new boardwalk between Davagh Forest and Beaghmore Stone Circles is a beautiful walk.

The sunset at Lough Fea was stunning!  Another beautiful place to walk.

 The garden comes into its own in the summertime.  It is such a beautiful place to sit and relax and I will take any opportunity to sit in it, whether it be for breakfast when the guests have left or a glass of prosecco in the evening!

For the second time the Cookstown 100 has run in September.  It is normally held at the end of April and marks the beginning of the road racing season, but because of Covid-19 it has been held in September this year and last year.

The Cookstown 100 weekend is one of our busiest in the B&B - one where we could fill our rooms one hundred times over - but one of the best.
The same people come back year after year and have become friends.  We all love road racing and have that in common and the road racing community is a very good natured and friendly one.
There is always lots of friendly chatter over breakfast on the Sunday morning!

Road racing is a big thing here in Northern Ireland and the atmosphere at Coostown is really good and you really get to see the speed of the motorbikes up close.
Next year the Cookstown 100 will hit the one hundred year milestone, so, hopefully the Road Racing Calendar will return to normal and Cookstown, in its centenary year, will mark the start of the racing season to be followed by Tandragee, the North West and of course the Isle of Man TT

We love pancakes in this house!  In the B&B we offer pancakes, bacon and maple syrup on the breakfast menu and it is always very popular, but we eat pancakes almost every week with different toppings and not just for breakfast!

The recipe I use for pancakes (it's not really a recipe) was given to me by a good friend many, many years ago. Her pancakes were always amazing.  Most recipes start with the dry ingredients and add the wet ones but her advice was to do it the other way round.

I usually make a batch of pancakes with one pint of buttermilk, which makes quite a lot of pancakes!  I then freeze the extras.  Pancakes heat up beautifully, wrapped in tinfoil in a low oven.

 I mix one pint of buttermilk with eight eggs and a teaspoon of vanilla extract - always with a whisk, never an electric mixer.

To that I add soda bread flour, a cup at a time, until the consistency is right.  The batter needs to be quite thick, thick enough that when you spoon it onto the pan, it doesn't spread.  It can take anything up to four cups of flour.

Finally add sugar.  We like our pancakes quite sweet so I add almost a full cup of sugar but you can add more or less.

Preheat a frying pan or griddle over a moderate heat.  Brush the pan with melted butter or oil.  Spoon the batter onto the pan. You can use any size of spoon, depending on whether you want large, extra large or mini pancakes.  When bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes it is time to turn them and cook them on the other side for a few minutes.

I only oil the pan once, that way you get the lovely smooth surface of a bakery pancake!  I always use a cast iron griddle, one I bought years ago at a Pampered Chef party when they were all the rage!!

We all have our favourite ways to eat pancakes in this house - mine is spread with nutella, topped with sliced banana.  Hubby sticks with the simple life, just butter and sugar.

Pancakes, strawberries and maple syrup.                            Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup.

Pancakes and butter, Pancakes, apple sauce and cream.      Pancakes, nutella and banana

Breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day.  I can't function without my breakfast and, for me, it is really important to provide a good, quality, freshly cooked breakfast for my guests.  We have a wide range of options available and guests can choose any one of them or they can mix and match through the options.

Cereal, yogurt and fresh fruit are always available.

Today, I want to show you some of the combinations you could pick - just to break away from the norm!

Scrambled egg, bacon and toast.  This is always a popular breakfast.

Scrambled egg, bacon and soda bread, either fried or toasted is a great alternative.

Poached egg, tomato, sausages and toast.

Poached eggs on soda bread.  One of my favourtites!

I think poached eggs are my favourite way to eat eggs.  At Manorview we have our own hens and although there is always great debate about how to poach and egg perfectly - swirl the water, add vinegar to the water - I think that when an egg is very fresh nothing needs to be done except drop the egg in boiling water and cook for three minutes.

Bacon sandwich with the addition of a fried egg

Taking the bacon sandwich to a whole new level.

Fried soda bread sandwiching bacon and a fried egg - otherwise known as an egg and bacon soda!

Manorview is lucky to be located in a beautiful area with views of green fields and the Sperrin Mountains and within a short distance there are lots of interesting things to see.

Drum Manor is literally on the doorstep, the entrance is just a short walk from the B&B and the Oaklands Room and Lounge look out on the Gate Lodge.
Drum Manor is perfect for an early morning walk before breakfast or an evening stroll if you have been sitting in a car all day.  There are different paths, all marked out, to suit everyone whether you want a relaxing stroll or a more challenging walk or run.
The grounds are beautiful, especially in Bluebell season.  There are ponds, a play park and lots of picnic areas to just stop and take in the beautiful surroundings.

Welbrook Beetling Mill is less than a five minute drive from Manorview B&B and is now owned by the National Trust.
Beetling was the final stage in linen making when the cloth was pounded with wooden hammers (Beetles) to give it a lovely smooth sheen.
Wellbrook still has all the original machinery and during tours the National Trust demonstrate the very noisy beetling process!!
Wellbrook is a reminder of what was once a flourishing linen industry here.
Wellbrook Beetling Mill has set opening hours (check National Trust-Wellbrook Beetling Mill) but even when closed it is worth a visit for a short walk and a look ate the scenery.

Travel a little further into the Sperrins and Beaghmore Stone Circles are well worth a visit.  Set in beautiful countryside, Beaghmore is a complex of early Bronze Age Megalithic features, stone circles and cairns.
It's hard to believe that something from so long ago is still there and to stand in such a quiet, peaceful spot and wonder what life was like for the people living back then.
The views are stunning and it is an ideal place for a sunset photo or even better ( if you are an early riser) a sunrise one.

Also set in the rugged mountain scenery of the Sperrins, is Lough Fea.  The combination of the Sperrins and a calm freshwater lake makes this a place of great beauty.
There is a walkway the whole way round the lough, so it is a popular place for walkers.  It is about three miles long and takes roughly an hour.
There is carparking, toilets and a childrens play are.
Lough Fea provides the drinking water for the area, including Manorview!

Tullyhogue Fort attracts lots of visitors every year and is of great cultural and historical significance.
The Fort is now just a depression in the ground, surrounded by trees but was once the ceremonial site of the O'Neill Clan and where the O'Neill kings would have been crowned.
A series of paths will take you to the top of the hill with wonderful views along the way.
A great place for a walk, seeped in ancient irish royal history.