The castle will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and then re-open for visits on 27th December until 31st December.
The staff at Glamis which you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year... signing off for two weeks break and share some images of the past few weeks.
Finishing touches being added to the festive decorations at Glamis and preparing for a programme of seasonal events over the next 6 weeks.
Festive Events include.. Musical evenings, Storytelling, Puppet Theatre, Festive Dining, Winter Welly Walks, and more... Discover what's on and what's coming up by visiting our website. www.glamis-castle.co.uk
The RNLI Charity Reindeer Run takes place on Sunday 20th November... you can still register to take part at www.rnli.org.uk/reindeer
2011 has been a positive year for the red squirrels of Angus and Perthshire. With the help of estates such as Glamis Castle and the dedication of volunteer supporters, Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels has been able to tackle the grey squirrel invasion and carry out a Tayside-wide survey of squirrel locations throughout the year. Signs are promising that greys have been ousted from some woodlands where they had taken over and reds are moving back with an encouraging increase in breeding numbers.
To celebrate this positive news National Red Squirrel Week will be promoting red conservation between the 1st and 9th October. Glamis Castle will be joining in with an early morning squirrel walk and talk led by Ken Neil the SWT Red Squirrel Project Officer for Tayside.
The event will begin at 08:00 on the 2nd October with bacon rolls and hot drinks provided in the Victorian Kitchen Restaurant after we come in from the cold. So come and share breakfast with some of Scotland's favourite wild animals.
£4.35 ( which includes the bacon butty and tea/coffee)
Staff members help move the marquee for Glamis Castle stand at Scotland's Countryside Festival this weekend.
Visit our stand for forthcoming event info. competitions, and the chance to win tickets for Halloween at Glamis.
We would like to thank everyone who applied for the position of Admin Assistant and advise that the posistion has now been filled by St. Andrews University Graduate, Lucy Gilmour.
Lucy started her new post on 10th July and has hit the ground running. In her first month she will be assisting our Event Co-ordinator, Claire Taylor, at a wedding reception and the Grand Scottish Prom on July 30th.
GLAMIS CASTLE RECIPE FOR JULY
QUEEN ELIZABETH, THE QUEEN MOTHER’S FAVOURITE CAKE
Line a Swiss roll tin with foil, building it up well at the sides (9” by 12” tin). Pour a cup of boiling water over 4oz. of chopped dates and 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda. Let it stand while the following is mixed:
INGREDIENTS
| 175g/6 oz butter | For the topping: |
| 175g/2 oz sugar | 5 tblsp soft light brown sugar |
| 6 oz. sifted plain flour | 2 tblsp butter |
| 2 oz. chopped walnuts (leave a few for topping) | 2 tblsp cream from the top of the milk |
| 1 beaten egg |
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| 1 sm. tsp baking powder |
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| ½ tsp salt |
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METHOD
1. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the date mixture, stirring well. Bake for 35 minutes in a moderate oven.
2. Mix together the topping ingredients and boil for 3 minutes. Spread over the cake and top with chopped nuts.
PLEASE NOTE:
This cake is the Queen Mother’s favourite recipe. At Her Majesty’s request the recipe must not be given away but SOLD and the money donated to a charitable organisation.
Events form a large part of the season here at Glamis.
Outdoor events are often stage- managed by outside companies; our main role is to ensure the venue remains in tip-top condition, that our facilities are well presented and that we are prepared for the extra visitors that outside events often bring to the castle.
The Strathmore Highland Games is organised by local people in association with the Scottish Highland Games Association. Glamis always provides a magnificent backdrop to traditional Scottish sports like tossing the caber, hammer throwing, tug of war, traditional dances; it is a celebration of all things Scottish, a regular event that attracts locals and visitors. Held this year on the 12th June, we were incredibly lucky with the weather and the day went well.
Our next major outside event is the Scottish Transport Extravaganza to be held on the weekend of the 9th and 10th July. This is the largest vintage car rally in Scotland organised by the Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club and held every year here in the Castle Event field. Another hugely popular event, it is now in its 37th year. The event showcases more than 1,300 vehicles representing a variety of transports. With something for every member of the family, this is a “must see” in the events calendar.
Scotland’s Countryside Festival is held this year on the 3rd and 4th of September and celebrates the rural activities that can be found in Scotland. This is an event for families, dogs, horses, ferrets, ducks-you name it. If it can be found in the countryside, you will find it here at Glamis that weekend. This is the biggest “Family Festival” in the East of Scotland highlighting the great variation of crafts, foods and wines that can be found in the region. A great day out for all.
But the big event of the year will surely be the Grand Scottish Prom, which bursts into life on Saturday the 30th July. We all look forward to this event with its heady combination of classical music, fireworks and fun. Taking the lead from other major concert venues like the Proms in Hyde Park, London, concert goers bring their own seating and picnics from 5pm onwards to spend the long summer evening drinking in the atmosphere of the castle and grounds while listening to popular classics as interpreted by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and soloist Giordano Luca. The grand finale of fireworks set to the music of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is a fitting end to what is always a superb concert.
Tickets for the Grand Scottish Prom are available at the Early Bird price of £29 (plus £1.50 each handling charge and postage) until Thursday the 28th July. Tickets at the gate will be £35 each. We look forward to seeing you there.
An exciting job opportunity has arisen to work within our small team at Glamis Castle. Check our website for further details. http://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/news_detail.cfm/news_ID/45/title/title=-EMPLOYMENT-OPPORTUNITIES
SMIDDY-LOAF
Ingredients:
4 oz. margarineMETHOD
1. Measure water, margarine, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda and sultanas and heat gently in a pan. Do not boil. Simmer until margarine has melted.
2. Set aside until cold, then add the beaten eggs and sifted flour.
3. Grease and line a loaf tine and bake for 1¼ hours. Test with a cake skewer. If the skewer comes out dry the loaf is ready. Leave overnight before slicing.
One race, two men, one on foot, one on a bike, from one end of Scotland to the other....
Christopher Godfrey-Faussett and John Gunn created the Mad HaT (Hare and Tortoise) challenge with the aim of raising money for three very deserving causes, the King’s Royal Hussars Appeal (40%), as the Regiment heads out to Afghanistan in early 2012, Prostate Cancer Scotland (40%) and The Borders Children’s Charity (20%).
Find out more about the Mad Hat challenge and how to help and support the first challenge of its kind in Scotland. Mad Hat (Hare and Tortoise) challenge.
Programme published for the first time by the RSNO
There is nowhere as lovely as Great Britain in May and June. The fresh green leaves of the trees mixed with the buds of those still to burst into life make an enticing view from my office window. The bright red leaves of the copper beech are beautiful when the sunshine hits them. Earlier this morning I could see the Highland cattle lying in the grass under the canopy of the oak tree across the way and though how very pastoral the whole scene looked.
The dry spell we had earlier has broken and we now have the April showers that should have fallen a few weeks ago. It means the grass has surged into growth. I would imagine that the gardeners would say they could stand and watch it grow-if they had the time. They have been very busy cleaning up after the high winds of last week and have done a sterling job. We were very lucky that we kept all the trees, the walk down the drive is still a beautiful sight. Of course a dry, warm April meant that the daffodil display finished earlier than normal. A great shame as it 
was magnificent to behold. Walking down the drive was an absolute pleasure.
The 2011 season is now in full swing and we are looking forward to a good year. Our Wedding Exhibition is generating a huge amount of interest and in early May we took delivery of the Queen Mother’s Wedding dress, our centre piece. I must say that any photographs you may have seen do not do the dress the justice it deserves and it really is a beautiful object. The simple but chic design is very much in line with the styles of the 1920’s but it is the detail of the stitching and beading, much of it done by hand, that I find so fascinating. And just last week we took the loan of the dress that Her Majesty the Queen wore to HRH Prince Edward’s wedding. A really lovely piece I have to say and we are grateful to Her Majesty for allowing us to have the dress on display at Glamis. All the people who worked have on the exhibition deserve congratulations and thanks for all their hard work in creating a superb showcase of Strathmore history.
Also in June we look forward to the Strathmore Highland Games on the 12th June. Always a popular event, it showcases all the traditional highland competitions and is a celebration of Scottish culture and music. It is a very Scottish event, like no other so come along and enjoy the day.
Tickets for the Grand Scottish Prom are selling fast so if you haven’t got yours don’t miss out. The ticket price is now £29.00 plus £1.50 handling charge per ticket. It promises to be a fantastic event and one that all of us here at the castle look forward to.
