THERE is always a certain amount of trepidation about staging an annual event on the scale of the Holker Garden Festival, and it takes a year of planning to orchestrate an event of this size and calibre.

• Strains of motherhood inspired Bowness woman to write
• Countryfile star follows Lake District Wainwright walks
• Cumbria farmer's hardest lambing season in two decades

A BIG bag of fish and chips followed by a tub of Ben Jerry’s ice cream may be his meal of choice at home but Linthwaite House’s head chef Chris O’Callahan prefers to be a little more adventurous at work.

• It was a tale of two dishes at the Bay Horse
• Urswick pub is perfect place for post-puppy class pub grub
• Keswick restaurant menu can be enjoyed by all
• Mike raises a glass to Westmorland damson

WHEN your husband offers to treat you to a weekend of clothes shopping, I can’t imagine many women would refuse.

• So much to see in Bern, Switzerland
• Ulverston family take fast lane to thrills at Flamingo Land
• Madrid scores as a city of real drama
• Bowness toffee loft is a sweet dream
• Couple find perfect playground
• Pair find perftect ski holiday in Italy

THE other week, maverick designer Diarmuid Gavin advised gardeners that they would have to roll with the weather to ensure their gardens survived and thrived the extremes.

• Garden know how shared at Barrow sessions
• Get creative with tubs to enjoy pots of flavour
• Feeding feathered friends will help stop their decline

AS bee populations continue to dwindle due to bad weather, experts offer tips on how gardeners can help conserve these vital pollinators.

• Why helping Cumbria barn owls survive is a long story