Lodge House B & B

11/04/2026

Lodge House B&B now open for bookings. PM us for details or look at

Experience luxury and tranquility at Lodge House B&B in the beautiful Blackdown Hills, Somerset.

08/04/2026

The tulip pots in the front garden are looking lovely.

04/04/2026

My Simnel cake Easter 2026

This year I chose a light fruit cake recipe for my Simnel cake. It is based on a Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake Recipe. INGREDIENTS 150g softened unsalted butter or margarine (I used Stork) 150 g caster sugar 3 large eggs 225 self-raising flour 1 tsp mixed spcie 450g mixed dried fruits (I used raisins, sultanas, currants, cranberrries, sour cherries and chopped dates) - I don't like mixed peel so although that was in the original recipe I omitted them....

This year I chose a light fruit cake recipe for my Simnel cake. It is based on a Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake Recipe. INGREDIENTS 150g softened unsalted butter or margarine (I used Stork) …

22/12/2025

Christmas Rocky Road

An elderly lady friend of ours just loves my Rocky Road so I always make some each Christmas. It's easy to make and you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. This is the recipe I used:- 300g of dark chocolate broken into small pieces 130g of butter 3 tablespoons of golden syrup 110 broken/chopped shelled brazils (or any nut of your choice)...

An elderly lady friend of ours just loves my Rocky Road so I always make some each Christmas. It’s easy to make and you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. This is the recipe I used:…

10/12/2025

Getting and decorating the Christmas Tree 2025

About 200yards from our house is a Christmas Tree farm and we go there every year to choose our tree. This year we bought a 6 foot Fraser Fir which smells divine and is a non drop tree. Getting it in Kathy's car was a bit of an issue so we wound the window down and poked it through. Afterall we didn't have far to go to get home....

About 200yards from our house is a Christmas Tree farm and we go there every year to choose our tree. This year we bought a 6 foot Fraser Fir which smells divine and is a non drop tree. Getting it …

18/10/2025

Last Sunday we went down to the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel and Spa for a short break. When we arrived we were served a cream tea - lovely fresh scones. Our hotel room had the biggest bed you have ever seen, think we will get lost in it! In the afternoon we used the spa facilities, swimming pool, whirlpool bath , sauna and steam room and later had dinner in the restaurant....

Last Sunday we went down to the Sidmouth Harbour Hotel and Spa for a short break. When we arrived we were served a cream tea – lovely fresh scones. Our hotel room had the biggest bed you have…

17/10/2025

I saw this recipe for an unusual jam and as I still have lots of apples thought I would give it a go. The recipe calls for:- 500gm seedless green grapes 500g apples cored and peeled 1 unwaxed lemon zest and juice 400g granulated sugar a little Cinnamon (I used 1/2 teaspoon) either 1/2 vanilla pod split open and seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence…...

I saw this recipe for an unusual jam and as I still have lots of apples thought I would give it a go. The recipe calls for:- 500gm seedless green grapes 500g apples cored and peeled 1 unwaxed lemon…

28/09/2025

We have had a bumper harvest of apples this year, due ot the quiet Spring that kept the blossom on the trees, and the lovely hot Summer. This week we have been picking them, and on Sunday we pulped and pressed them into lovely juice. One tree had the reddest apples. When we cut into them they were red all the way through....

We have had a bumper harvest of apples this year, due ot the quiet Spring that kept the blossom on the trees, and the lovely hot Summer. This week we have been picking them, and on Sunday we pulped…

18/08/2025

Last week my neighbour and I went on a coach trip to RHS Rosemoor, where neither of us had been before. There are extensive laid out gardens where the flowers are really beautiful. We were particularly taken with all the reds and oranges in the hot garden. Other areas included the cool garden, the Queen Mother's rose garden, the winder garden and a herb, potager and cottage garden....

Last week my neighbour and I went on a coach trip to RHS Rosemoor, where neither of us had been before. There are extensive laid out gardens where the flowers are really beautiful. We were particul…

14/07/2025

Yesterday we went to Blackdown Poultry and bought 6 hens. These are approximately 20 weeks old, so should start laying eggs soon. We used the cat carriers to collect them. There were different types to choose from, but we chose ones with pretty colouring. Not very scientific I know, but we were told that they were all good egg layers....

Yesterday we went to Blackdown Poultry and bought 6 hens. These are approximately 20 weeks old, so should start laying eggs soon. We used the cat carriers to collect them. There were different type…

29/06/2025

We visited Bicton Park on a glorious sunny day and were impressed by the formal Italian Garend, built in th eItalian Renaissance sytle and commissioned by Henry the lst Baron Rolle in 1735. On paying for our entrance we were encouraged to book for the Bicton Woodland Railway which wa construced in 1962 and uses locolmtoive, rolling stock and track acquired from a decommmissioned narrow-guage 18 inch railway....

We visited Bicton Park on a glorious sunny day and were impressed by the formal Italian Garend, built in th eItalian Renaissance sytle and commissioned by Henry the lst Baron Rolle in 1735. On payi…