Slow Life » The Sawrey Hotel

The Cuckoo Brow Inn

jonathandenby — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:38:41 +0000

The world’s best commute (see http://www.slow-life.co.uk/2010/12/21/the-slow-life-journey-to-work/) has just got a whole lot better now that the Sawrey Hotel has been magically transformed into the Cuckoo Brow Inn. I can take precious little credit for the transformation, but that hasn’t stopped me from lapping up the extravagantly lavish praise which I’ve received from just about everyone in the village of Far Sawrey. The person who deserves the credit is my PA, Sally, who, together with her husband Dan, has been fully responsible for the project, including all the design work. The work started in November last year, since when the 2 Star and rather sad old Sawrey Hotel has been completely gutted and transformed into a 4 star Inn with 14 stylish bedrooms. The work was interrupted for a little while four months ago while Sally gave birth to her baby Florence (http://www.slow-life.co.uk/2011/05/19/the-happiest-smile/), but apart from that she has been indefatigable, and I’m very proud of what she has achieved.

Jamie Oliver’s “15” at the Sawrey Hotel

jonathandenby — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:53:21 +0000

“To connive at the killing of animals, while being too lily-livered to kill them yourselves is despicable”
John Seymour- ‘The Fat of the Land’

Jamie Oliver’s mission to take young people off the dole and then turn them into chefs isn’t just a stunt for a TV show. Long after the TV series has ended Jamie continues to recruit young trainees- except that now there are 28 rather than 15. Every year they are despatched to Peter Gott’s farm, to see a good old fashioned free range pig farm in operation. Peter is, I would say, the Lake District’s greatest ambassador, regularly appearing on TV with Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty and supplying his pork and wild boar meat to the great and the good of London. This is the 9th consecutive year in which he has taken in Jaime’s trainees.

Tonight Peter brought Jamie’s latest batch of 28 youngsters to the Sawrey Hotel where they enjoyed a game pie in the Sawrey’s beautiful new bar. They had spent the day being taught by Peter how to wring a cockerel’s neck. Tomorrow they will clean, pluck and cook the birds. They spoke about their adventure with enormous enthusiasm- it’s clear that Peter’s great gusto has rubbed off on them.

The Slow Life Journey to Work

jonathandenby — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:51:56 +0000

On a day like today I’d be willing to bet that there is no journey to work better than mine. I begin in Grange-over-Sands on a sparkling morning when the rising sun casts long red shadows on the expansive sands of Morecambe Bay. Then along the Lythe Valley to the Damson Dene Hotel in Crosthwaite. It is deep midwinter; when I started out the temperature was –1C and with each mile inland it drops a further degree so that by the time I reach the Damson Dene it is –7. All the fields and trees along the way are thickly coated with a hoar frost which gleams in the bright sunshine.
From the Damson Dene my journey takes me to our latest acquisition, the Sawrey Hotel, which is about 15 minutes away on the other side of Lake Windermere. I cross the Lake by a ferry which works on a pulley system which gives a quiet smooth ride and allows you to enjoy the view of the water with the snow-capped mountains beyond. Today the Lake is covered with ice but the ferry has been able to push its way through. This video is a record of the crossing. This isn’t work- it’s the Slow Life.
The song which accompanies the video is A Hazy Shade of Winter by Simon and Garfunkel.

Taking over the Sawry Hotel

jonathandenby — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:31:02 +0000

The Sawrey Hotel is at Cuckoo Brow, about which Beatrix Potter wrote one of her tales, and although it calls itself a hotel, in reality its a pub with rooms, 19 of them. It has been serving beer for more than 300 years, the last 42 of them by the Brayshaw family, but from today by Dan Shrieber, who became the Landlord, in a joint venture with South Lakes Hotels. Soon after we had completed all the formalities of the purchase I got chatting with an elderly couple who were staying in the hotel. They told me that they had been coming to the Sawrey Hotel for 55 years and stayed 8 times last year. I’m sure this makes them the Lake District’s most loyal customers- which says a lot for the Brayshaw family and gives Dan quite a lot to live up to.