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Drewton's Newsletter

Autumn Newsletter 2024

Food for thought!

Against a backdrop of a failing food culture, with ultra-processed foods on the rise and supermarkets creating fake farms and tricking the consumer into thinking they are supporting British and local, Drewtons needs to be a voice for the people still doing things properly.  The smaller farmers and artisan businesses who are producing for our shops and markets won’t survive without a robust independent food chain for them to sell their goods through.  Every morning when we open our doors, we are offering this outlet.  Farm shops and farmers markets are the last bastion of real food culture in the UK.

To survive, our collaborative businesses need to thrive.  We need to be profitable during challenging times and we must encourage more people through our doors.  You couldn’t make up the testing time our food retail and hospitality industry has faced over the last few years.  We’ve had to weather the storm with the unpredictability of COVID; the availability and rising costs of utilities and services, produce and ingredients; the wage increases, and so much more.  With this inflation and the new government, we will no doubt face further challenges, as well as opportunities.

As Chair of the East Yorkshire Local Food and Rural Tourism Network, I am passionate about being a voice for real local food and I look forward to the exciting events and seasonal produce we will proudly boast throughout Autumn and Winter.

Thank you, as always, for your endearing support …

 Katie Taylor MBE

Boss Katie
Chefs In The Kitchen
Ready Steady Bake!

Our fabulous team of Chefs and Bakers our proud to create a huge range of handmade traybakes and cakes, sausage rolls, quiches, pastries, pies and seasonal goodies. 

Sweet treats include Chocolate Orange Brownie, Battenberg, and the ever-popular Cornflake and Millionaire Brownies. 

The Drewton’s Sausage Roll is now super-sized, our award-winning Steak Pie filling has a new longer slower cooking method, and have you tried our delicious quiches, including broccoli and Yorkshire Blue, and Staal salmon and creme fraiche.

Keep an eye out for the new Boeuf Bourguignon and Potato Pie, Beef Wellington and Salmon en Croûte Christmas specials, and Autumnal Fruit Crumbles and Apple Pies, not to mention our homegrown Pumpkin Pie!

Homemade with love, using quality locally sourced ingredients where possible, our Bakery and Makery is busy, busy, busy making delightful creations for our popular Restaurant menus, and for the Deli!

More Than Just a Turkey

Our Butchery, Deli and Farm Shop Managers are proud to launch our Christmas Order Form 2024, and we are thrilled to announce that we will be selling the famous KellyBronze turkeys!

Dowthorpe Turkeys from Skirlaugh are a franchisee of Kelly Turkeys, rearing and providing free-range slow-reared bronze turkeys for Christmas. 

The KellyBronze is the direct descendant of the turkeys that took Henry VIII and the noble Tudor table by storm.  The KellyBronze turkey is raised wild – free to run and forage in woodlands across four seasons.  Age-old traditions of plucking them by hand and dry hanging them allow the flavour to intensify and the meat to tenderise.  It’s not the easiest, nor the cheapest way to farm turkeys but the KellyBronze is a royalty amongst roasts.

“KellyBronze turkeys are the best of the best, the most joyful treat.  Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a KellyBronze turkey.” – Jamie Oliver

Turkey KellyBronze
KellyBronze Birds
Yorkshire Breakfast
Eggs Benedict
We're Dining Out!

It’s all about the Restaurant right now as we launch exciting new Brunch, Lunch and Afternoon Tea menus, alongside a new Drinks menu including more specials of the day/week, and a new-look Children’s Menu!  Alongside popular favourites, new dishes include Smoked Haddock Hash Brown Benedict, Turkish Eggs, High Protein Vegan Burrito, Braised Beef Short Ribs, Shrimp Carbonara and Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding! 

We are also thrilled to bits to collaborate with local and nationally-loved artist Eleanor Tomlinson who has designed our menus, bringing to life the flora and fauna of our local countryside.  Eleanor’s beautiful drawing encapsulates our glorious setting, and you’ll see many of our farm animals, game birds and wildlife, with the farmers and crops, walks, and even an Afternoon Tea for two!  Please see inside image.

Our restaurant, known as ‘Kitchen’, will soon welcome a year-round dog-friendly dining room to the Courtyard dining area.  It’s been a long time coming and we are very excited about this new addition, which will also offer a new reception area and coffee bar to the restaurant!  We apologise for any inconvenience over the autumn, as building works take place.  Unfortunately, no time is a good time when we’re open every day!

Seasonal Produce

Look out for the best of local produce during August to November.

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August &  September
Fruit and vegetables -
Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Damsons, Peaches, Plums, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Elderberries, Pears, Raspberries, Redcurrants.

 Aubergines, Beetroot, Broad beans, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, French and runner beans, Leeks, Lettuce, New potatoes, Onions, Peas, Peppers, Red cabbage, Spring onions, summer squash, Sweetcorn, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts.

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October &  November
Fruit and vegetables - 
Apples, Blackberries, Damsons, Elderberries, Pears, Quince, Clementines, Cranberries.

Aubergines, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Butternut squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Cucumber, Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Radishes, Spinach, Swede, Sweetcorn, Turnips, Wild mushroom, Winter squash, Cabbages, Celeriac, Potatoes, Shallots, Swedes, Swiss chard, Turnips.

Three Pumpkins
Bunch Of Rasberries
Group of Vegetables
History Script
Railway Old Picture
History Lesson

Some may wonder why we named our restaurant ‘Kitchen’?  The answer … we wanted to honour a certain group of people which settled here many moons ago, known as the Romans!  Our Farm Shop and Restaurant sits on an old Roman kitchen site, adjacent to the A1034 which is still listed as an old Roman road.  The kitchen catered for the Roman settlement situated within The Drewton Estate which was then known as ‘Druids Town’.

Drewton is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated six miles south-east from Market Weighton and eleven miles west from Hull city centre, and forms part of the civil parish of South Cave.

In the 1086 Domesday Book Drewton is written as “Drowetone”. The manor, in the East Riding Hundreds of Cave, comprised 11 households, 6 villagers and 5 smallholders, with 2 ploughlands.

The Domesday settlement at Drewton became a partly deserted medieval village, possibly at the time of the 14th-century Black Death. There was a further decline in the second half of the 17th century leaving only Drewton Manor and a farmhouse. Four houses were added in the mid-20th century.  A later Drewton Manor, built in stone about 1850 includes residential buildings, gardens, and a working farm.

At Drewton, there is a naturally formed stone monolith called St Austin’s Stone.  The huge monolith was supposed to be connected with Druid worship, and as the place where Saint Augustine preached to the Saxons, although there is no existing record of the saint ever visiting.  Legend told how it “derived its name from St. Augustine, who used to preach from this stone to the heathen, before Britain became christian.”  This obviously supplanted an earlier heathen site, but it’s difficult to work out what that may have been. 

The settlement was also the location of the old South Cave railway station on the Hull and Barnsley Railway, first used in 1885 for rail traffic after the huge construction project was completed by around 8,000 men, known as navvies.  This is now disused and strictly closed to any public access.  Tunnels were cut through chalk with linings being a mix of bar chalk walls and brick.  Drewton Tunnel is one of the longest disused tunnels in the United Kingdom at a length of 1 mile 354 yards, and lies to the east of the shorter Sugar Loaf Tunnel and Weedley Tunnel.

The western portal of Drewton Tunnel is almost entirely buried with landfill and is situated in an operating chalk quarry. This end of the tunnel has considerable deposits of mud on the former track bed washed in by rainfall as a result of local quarrying operations. The eastern portal remains open although is protected, and also strictly out of bounds. The tunnel regularly experiences chalk falls as the lining inside deteriorates in the damp conditions.

Jumping to the present time, and proud of her surroundings, Katie Taylor MBE opened Drewton’s Farm Shop in October 2010, sensitively converting old farm buildings on The Drewtons Estate, located on the edge of the Wolds Way.  Drewton’s sources food and drink products from around 250 Yorkshire-based farmers, growers, producers and suppliers, offering a wide choice of products in the farm shop and a whole host of seasonal dishes on the menus, across both Kitchen and The Manor Rooms.  The business supports a further 200 other professional companies in the region, which provide us with everything from design and marketing to suppliers for The Manor Rooms’ weddings and events venue, including entertainers, florists, photographers and room stylists.

Walking In The Wolds

Our beautiful location in the East Riding of Yorkshire opens its arms to keen walkers and ornithologists.

Should you wish to see a little more of Estate, The Drewton Wold’s five-mile circular walk boasts views of rolling hills, beautiful woodland, ponds, and wildlife.

You may even be lucky to see Red Kite soaring above!  A Red Kite reintroduction and breeding programme was established to The Drewton Estate in 2001, and we have now welcomed around 48 fledglings, including another three youngsters this year.  

Please respect the landowner and our farmers by strictly staying on the public rights of way only, and keeping your dog on a lead!

You can follow the QR code to access maps for this walk, and other public footpaths and bridleways around the Estate, or visit our leaflet stand in the farm shop, where you’ll find an array of local walks and guides.

Foot Path Sign
Halloween Afternoon Tea
Eleanor Tomlinson
Family Fun

October will be bursting with exciting activities and tasty 
seasonal treats, for grown-ups, children and even your furry friends!  

The Pumpkin Patch returns for the fourth year with even more fun, and it is still with Free Entry so what’s not to love?!  Offering a fabulous experience, families and individuals alike will enjoy foraging through the pumpkin fields, revelling in the many photo opportunities and picking from a huge selection of pumpkins in various colours, shapes, and sizes!

‘Naughty but nice’ Halloween-themed Afternoon Teas run throughout half term week (don’t forget to book a table!), and we are super excited to be hosting special Art and Floral Workshops, with a community Harvest Supper and Auction event in support of our local villages and churches.

The Great Pumpkin Walk is a new introduction for this year, working in conjunction with East Riding Council’s Countryside Service and The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail.  A fabulous opportunity to walk through The Drewton Estate, enjoying a game with a treasure hunt theme!

Please pick up our booklet in store for more detailed information, dates and how to book. This information can also be found on our website.

Member Of The Club?

Have you joined our Drewton’s Loyalty Scheme yet?

Enjoy special discounts and deals on selected shopping items and fresh produce, with birthday treats and discounts in the restaurant, when you become a member of the club! 

Just one of the benefits of being a Drewton’s Loyalty Card Holder is being able to indulge in Coffee and Cake for only £6.50, from 3pm Monday to Friday. 

New registrations for the scheme are taken in store only, so ask one of our friendly team members about it when you next visit!

Loyalty Card and Cake
Gifting Vouchers
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Gifting

You’re spoiled for choice at Drewton’s if you’re looking for a special gift this festive season, with many options to choose from!

A Drewton’s Hamper is a wonderful surprise for a birthday, celebration, or just to say thank you or ‘Merry Chrimbo’!  Boasting a range of boxes, baskets, and bags, hamper selections come in various sizes to create your own arrangement, or we can design hampers to suit your preferred selection and theme.  All hampers are made to order, and delivery can be arranged, which makes them very popular with businesses looking for corporate Christmas gifts.

Vouchers also come in all shapes and sizes with popular glossy gift card dining vouchers for ‘Afternoon Teas’, ‘Cream Teas’ and ‘Restaurant Dining’, along with monetary vouchers in denominations of £5, £10 and £20 notes.

Fresh food adds a touch of nostalgia, with businesses and family members choosing to gift a turkey or large pork pie, for example!  Take a look at the Christmas Order Form for some ideas!  

Keep an eye out for special ticketed events in The Manor Rooms, which include Christmas Parties, Flower Arranging, Willow and Art Workshops, Tribute Dinners, and much more!  

And, seasonal gifts, decorations, children’s toys, and cards fill the Luxuries department, with ideas for dressing your dining table too.  Stock arrives from the start of September, so you have plenty of time to plan your special festivities!

Lots of ideas to make this season that little more special!

Small Logo
Dates For The Diary!

An Evening with Adele Tribute
Saturday 19th October
£45 per person
7pm until midnight
Includes a two-course dinner and live entertainment

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Festive Wreath Decorating Workshop
Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November
10am – 2.30pm or 1.30pm – 4pm
£65 per person, includes refreshments

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Large Willow Star with Lights Workshop
Tuesday 3rd December
10am – 12.30pm or 1.30pm – 4pm
£65 per person, includes refreshments

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Christmas Craft and Food Festival
Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November
10am until 4pm, FREE ENTRY
Over 30 local stalls.  Your one-stop shop for Christmas!

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Festive Christmas Party Nights
6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st December
7pm until midnight
£45 per person, includes a sparkling reception, 
two-course dinner and live DJ

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Festive Afternoon Tea
15th and 22nd December
1:30pm until 3:30pm
£39 per adult, £25 per child
Sparkling reception, Festive Afternoon Tea, and Live Brass Band

Adele
Ribbons
Robin Artwork
Wedding Venue
Simply The Best

As I write, our wedding season is in full swing, the wedding accommodation is loved by all, and we are thrilled to announce that this has been our busiest year so far!  The team has been phenomenal, working tirelessly to ensure every corporate event and wedding is nothing short of perfect.  We’re overwhelmed with wonderful feedback from our wedding couples, which continues to motivate us to keep raising the bar.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and celebrating the rest of this fantastic year together but, in the meantime, stay tuned for wedding open events, and more exciting news as we will soon commence building work to create The Orangery – adding another reception space to The Manor Rooms, offering more flexibility for weddings and events!

Thank you for your continued support!

Lisa … Events Manager

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“The most amazing day!”
We couldn’t have asked for more. The staff, venue, food and setting were perfect...
We stayed in the wedding cottage, and again cannot fault anything. The professionalism and time keeping was outstanding.
The staff are so attentive and have an amazing eye for detail. From the minute we stepped into The Manor Rooms, we knew this was our venue!
The food was delicious, and everyone enjoyed their meals. Again, the attention to detail was incredible, portion sizes were perfect except the pudding which was huge! If we could do it all again, we would choose The Manor Rooms.
Thank you to all the team for making our day.

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“The Perfect Wedding Venue!”
No words would ever come close to how amazing this venue is! The Manor Rooms made our day more special than we could have ever imagined! Everything went perfectly and that is all credit to everyone at the manor rooms, especially the team responsible for the whole build up and communication before the wedding as well as their involvement on the day!
We can’t speak highly enough, and we have had so many messages from our guests praising the venue, food, staff etc. 
The whole process was perfect from start to finish and nothing was too big of an ask!
Thank you everyone at Manor Rooms!

Exiting Awards News!

The Yorkshire Choice Awards 2024 lit up Elland Road in Leeds In June with an evening of emotion, inspiration, and celebration. The gala dinner event honoured remarkable individuals and businesses across the region, chosen by public vote, in a testament to Yorkshire’s unwavering community spirit and excellence.  We were delighted to see our Proprietor, Katie Taylor MBE, win Yorkshire Entrepreneur of the Year 2024!

The Manor Rooms also achieved the Independent Countryside Venue award at the recent national I.Do Wedding Awards in Sheffield ... whoop whoop!

Our team of Butchers are celebrating too, having been awarded Gold Star recognition for our handmade Drewton’s Craft Sausage in the national prestigious Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards 2024.

Looking ahead, The Manor Rooms has been shortlisted for the Countryside Wedding Venue and Co-ordinator Team awards in the North of England Wedding Awards 2024!  We’re up against some tough local competition, so please wish us luck!  The glitzy award ceremony takes place in October, in Leeds.

And, we’re delighted to announce that Drewton’s Farm Shop has also been shortlisted as a finalist in the Yorkshire Post Rural Awards 2024 in the Environmental Initiative of the Year category.  The Black Tie awards ceremony is being held in Harrogate in September so, again, please wish us luck!

And, we were proud to be the runner-up in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Chairman’s Awards for the Business Award ’51 and Over Employees’ category, which took place at Bridlington Spa in May.

Awards I Do Winners
The Wedding Team
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