Searching for Stonechat on Pendle

In spring the hill becomes alive with birdsong as smaller birds come into their own, high above, unseen in Pendle’s famous mists, Skylark and Meadow Pipit trill, from a lone Rowan an Ouzel whistles and from the Gorse you may hear the unusual yet unmistakeable call of the Stonechat.

Northwest Recipes: Lancashire Hotpot

Back in the 17th century, the term “hotpot” didn’t refer to food at all; instead it described a hot spiced ale drink, sometimes mixed with spirits. The word gradually shifted meaning, and by the 1830s to 1840s, “hot-pot” or similar terms started appearing for meat stews in places like Liverpool.

Buntings in Bowland

Snow Buntings are true Arctic specialists, thriving in barren, open habitats with sparse vegetation. They breed in high-latitude tundras but undertake impressively long migrations southward during winter to avoid the perpetual darkness and sub-zero temperatures.

Unnatural Histories; Dandy the Dog, James Device’s Shape-shifting Familiar

A Tale of the Pendle Witch Trials and a Demonic Dog. Including a Chapter on the Design and Installation of the Eponymous Sculpture in Clitheroe, Lancashire

Farming, the Next Generation

The United Kingdom’s agricultural sector stands as a pillar of food security, rural economies, and environmental management, yet it faces a generational shift amid rapidly evolving challenges. With the average farmer’s age around 60, the industry urgently needs fresh talent to ensure its sustainability yet many have abandoned the profession. For a long while theContinue reading “Farming, the Next Generation”