Now Eileen Wright heads north to the small farming town of Hesketh Bank near Manchester.  Here is the third installment of “Eileen Writes”:

Moving North

Driving from the south of England to the north (on the opposite side of the road), the sky’s grey intensified, the temperatures fell and the rain began to descend.  After a four hour drive I finally arrived at the quaint little town of my good friend Pat.  Pat and her husband Tom live in a farming town near Manchester, England by the name of Hesketh Bank.  Hesketh Bank is where Pat’s family has lived and farmed for many generations.

Today I am one of the lucky individuals to benefit from all the long hours and hard work.

As we traveled down the long and windy, tree lined road we came upon the family vegetable/fruit stand.

I was so excited to purchase our ingredients for this evening’s dinner- truly, farm to table (the potatoes still had dirt covering them)!!!

The basket was filled with: three different colors of peppers, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, aborigine (eggplant), romanesco cauliflower, shallots, green beans, snow peas, squash, plums, pears, beats, figs – hold on, I need another basket.

I walked away with an armful of fresh bread, tea cakes, local Lancashire cheeses, and amazing produce.  Last but not least, one final stop, the fish monger for some fresh salmon.  At last, a cozy bungalow, a fantastic home cooked meal in front of the fire place and a superlative glass of wine – salute!!!

Just a note: across the two lane road you can even purchase a Shetland Pony J!