This Christmas, we visited our family in Northern England in the county of Cheshire. Also known as the Peak District for its green rolling hills, we have always loved going "home" to Disley. But this year felt different and slightly more exotic, since instead of catching the 2-hour train from Euston station in London, we traveled all the way from the USA! Bring on the Chistmas pudding and fruitcake!
Visit
Bakewell
A popular Peak District market town filled with boutiques, high end restaurants, and local food shops. It is also home to the well-known Bakewell pudding which is a jammy tart with almond filling. Sounds unusual, tastes delicious.
Lyme Park
Pride and Prejudice (the one with Colin Firth) was filmed in this expansive, green, hilly national park. Great for walks all year round, and sledding in the winter!
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-lymepark
Chatsworth House
A beautiful estate home and equally breath-taking landscape situated on a rolling stream.
Eat / Drink
Conti's Italian
A staple for many years in my in-laws' village, Conti serves up excellent pizzas, a tasty and tender spare rib appetizer and sweet, creamy tiramisu.
http://cabrelligroup.com/conti.html
The Ram's Head
A cozy, traditional English pub with crackling fires in the winter, a sunny beer garden in the summer, and excellent pub grub (fish & chips, meat and potato pie, sticky toffee pudding). Our favorite spot for a Christmas Eve drink (or two).
http://www.theramsheaddisley.co.uk/
Holiday-tion lit pick
- Like many busy, working women, I have a stack of books on my nightstand I want to read but don't always have the time. This holiday-tion I finally finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I also snuck in my favorite British celeb weekly, Look. (www.look.co.uk)
Up next: skiing in Stowe, Vermont
