Businesses join up for 90th celebration

A celebration of the values and pleasures of a life based in Northumberland's countryside and the huge variety of businesses it inspires, will underpin the first of the county's celebrations of the Queen's official 90th birthday.

On Thursday, June 9, atCragend Farm at the edge of Rothbury a group of businesses, all intimately connected with the county, are coming together to celebrate all that is great about living, working and eating in Northumberland – and all in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care.

Cragend Farm, originally Lord Armstrong’s show farm at the edge of the National Trust’s Cragside estate, lay neglected and derelict until 2011 when Lou and Shaun Renwick fell inlove with its potential and bought the property.

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After five years of restoration, the farm now houses a biomass log business, a registered holiday cottage, bed and breakfast rooms, a happy egg business and is the venue for corporate and fine dining events in addition to being the Renwick family’s home.

They installed a state of the art ESSE wood burning range in their own kitchen for the fine dining demonstrations, with classes run by Mary Wilkins’ Cookery School.

And ESSE Stoves, who also work with the River Cottage café and cookery school in Dorset, are bringing their chefs and a range of River Cottage Café recipes to Cragend for an open day of wood fired cookery techniques: demonstrations and eating on Thursday, June 9, from 10am to 5pm.

Local producers, creators and businesses will also be represented at the event

Entry is free and fund raising for Macmillan Cancer Care will be part of the day in memory of Lou’s mum, who died from lung cancer in 2014 and loved this time of year in the Coquet Valley.