Tuesday 7 June 2011

Office admin assistant required for Glamis Castle

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

Wednesday 1 June 2011

June recipe

This month's recipe is for Smiddy Loaf, a moist fruit loaf that ges well wit afternoon tea and keeps quite well. I heartily recommend it.

SMIDDY-LOAF

Ingredients:

4 oz. margarine
1 cup water

1 cup caster sugar

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp mixed spice

8 oz self raising flour

8 oz sultanas

2 eggs

METHOD

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.

Glamis Castle are proud to support and sponsor the Mad Hat Challenge

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.

Full Grand Prom Programme available on RSNO website

Programme published for the first time by the RSNO

The season takes off

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.