Whats on in and around Aviemore May/June 2008

Aviemore Badenoch & Strathspey
Stathspey in May
May 1st – 10th
Strathspey in May
Traditional music Festival and lots more check the web site for more info.

If you are staying at Highland Holiday Cottages your in luck its only a 25min drive to Grantown

Creatures of the Night

May 20th
Insh Marshes. See moths up close and watch bats
leave their roost. 8.30-10.30pm. Advance booking
is required. Charges Adults £5m RSPB Members
£2 Children Free. Meet at the RSPB car park (off
B970, 2 miles from Kingussie, just past Ruthven
Barracks. More info call: 01540 661518

May 24th-25th
Teddy Bears Weekend
Strathspey Steam Railway.
Children travel free if accompanied by a bear. You can borrow one from Highland Holiday Cottages - www.HighlandHolidayCottages.com
Telephone 01479 810725.
www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk

May 25th

Arverikie Castle
Arverikie Gardens,

Yes the garden of Glenbogle setting of Monarch of the Glen, Arverikie only opens its doors once a year, a must for all the Monarch of the Glen
Open 2pm – 5.30pm
Adults £4 Children under 12 £1.
Teas, Baking, Proceeds to Charity.

May 3rd
Nethy Village Hall Live Ceilidh Band "Barley
Bree" to raise funds for the Local Kids. Tickets:
Adults £4.00, Children £1.50. Family £10 includes
two adults and two children. All tickets include
stovies or soup. Licensed Bar, Bouncy Castle.
May 28th

Highland Council
14.00-16.30 Helping Ratty in Kincraig
Meeting place given out on booking Water Voles
need your help in the Cairngorms National park.
A short talk will be followed by a field visit to
look for Water Voles signs. Telephone 01540
673907

Walking and Mounatin Festival
10th to 17th May Aviemore and the Cairngorms
Walking and Mountain Festival. Po Box 5439,
Aviemore, Scotland. Ph22 1YG
May 31st

May 31st
Aviemore Ceilidh Dance
Aviemore Village Hall 8pm to midnight
Dance to Ian Cameron Duo.
Come along and enjoy the great talent.

31st May
Laggan 10k Highland Road Race and Mile Fun Run
Laggan 10K-2.00pm. Fun Run-2.10pm
10K entrants must be 15 or over.
www.laggan.com/entry.htm

Fresh white and black truffles

Why not treat yourself to some truffles, its not likley your going to find any in the UK, so why not order some from this great online gormy food web site. I bought some and they were great with most foods. Although expensive, very worthwhile to get that mushroom flavour.

Truffles go best with simple foods like scrambled eggs, omelettes, pasta, rice, or a typical meat dish, with truffle thinly, delicately sliced over it. While you might think you need a special truffle knife, a regular paring knife or a mandolin will do just as nicely to shave the truffles. In fact, you will release even more flavor out of a truffle if you break it up and mash it with a fork. Garlic, onion, chives, leek, celery, celery root, and parmesan enhance its flavor, and many recipes pair them with scallops, crayfish, foie gras, asparagus or cabbage.
Keep it simple, though, if you want to enjoy the aroma and taste that will enhance just about any food.

Why not even buy some for a foody friend....a great present

Cakes and Yummy Stuff.....

Sian writes about what she knows best.......cakes and yummy stuff. Below are some of Sians favourite cakie places! If you are staying at Highland Holiday Cottages near Aviemore we recomend you try some of these places....No mushroom cakes...sorry

Mountain Café in the centre of Aviemore produces homemade breads, scones and muffins. Their specialties, such as spiced apple cake, blueberry & lime drizzle cake and passion fruit melting moments are to die for! There are large glass windows and an outside veranda, so you can enjoy your hot chocolate and cake with a fantastic view! Aviemore is just a short drive north from Highland Holiday Cottages. visit http://www.mountaincafe-aviemore.co.uk/

The Pottery Bunkhouse and Coffee Shop in Laggan. Favourites include their famous carrot cake, “best ever” cheese scones and homemade soups. Their baking looks rustic and tastes really fresh and hearty! You should walk to the coffee shop from Highland Holiday Cottages because as the crow flies it is only about 3 miles, but to drive it, it is about 15 miles from Highland Holiday Cottages! You could walk off all the calories you’ve just eaten! visit www.potterybunkhouse.co.uk/coffee-shop.asp

The Potting Shed is in Inshriach Nursery, where they have a viewing gallery overlooking a feeding station that attracts red squirrels and a variety of birds. Located within Jack Drake's Alpine Nursery in Aviemore, the tearoom serves up a tasty selection of home-baked cakes and coffee served on beautiful bone china plates and cups! Nominated one of Britain top ten cake shops. The drive from Highland Holiday Cottages takes you on the back road to Aviemore, which has some amazing views! visit http://www.drakesalpines.com/

Gillys Kitchen in Kingussie serves delicious homemade cakes, flapjacks and cookies. Very rich, but very tasty! Just 10 minutes from Highland Holiday Cottages, there is plenty of other things to do in Kingussie as well. visit http://www.kingussie.co.uk/

The Dalwhinnie Inn always has fresh and tasty cakes and muffins as snacks, or proper homemade crumbles and pies for desserts. The menu here is so exceptional that I strayed from just eating cake and had a starter of tempura vegetables with satay sauce! VERY good! It is about 4 miles south of Highland Holiday Cottages and has a beautiful river running right behind the inn. visit www.theinndalwhinnie.com/inndulge/inndulge.html

The Cas Bar is at the bottom of the funicular train at the Cairngorm Mountain resort in Aviemore. It offers a range of fine things to eat - their Fair Trade coffee and Cairngorm hot chocolate are always on offer, and go well with their home made scones! Aviemore is just a short drive north from Highland Holiday Cottages, and there is loads of other things to do once you’re there. visit www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/cas-bar

At Loch Insh there are big glass windows and veranda overlooking the loch which is really fabulous (and great to have a laugh at other people trying out some watersports whilst you are sipping a latte!) Their cakes are tasty, very chocolate-y! visit www.lochinsh.com/Default.htm

Finally we have to mention the Mountain Base cafe located at the base of Wolf Trax....the best place for carrot cake this side of the Cairngorms. You can cycle off the calories afterwards. They alos do a mean milkshake.visit www.basecampmtb.com/BC_Cafe.htm

The bad ass Mushrooms!

What's bad, mushrooms can be bad and make you mad!

It's a very good idea to be cautious around wild mushrooms. Although many species are considered quite tasty, even some edible mushrooms can cause upset stomachs in vulnerable people, especially the old and the young. Many poisonous mushrooms can cause such severe gastric distress that people who eat them require hospitalization. A few species of mushrooms can even be lethal. In fact, it is so difficult to distinguish between toxic and non-toxic varieties of mushrooms that it is considered safest not to eat wild ones at all. Only gather mushrooms that you can positively identify; if you have even the slightest uncertainty about the identity of a mushroom, don't pick it. Even with this precaution, you should always have an expert verify the safety of the mushrooms you collect.

The Worst Mushrooms

The Amanita family of mushrooms includes many different toxic species, including two that are responsible for a large number of severe illnesses and deaths each year: the Death's Cap (see below) and the Destroying Angel (see above).

A few members of the Amanita family are edible, such as the Caesar's Mushroom, which is considered a delicacy. To prevent potentially fatal mistakes, however, no mushroom that fits the description of an Amanita should be picked, or eaten, by a novice or so called expert mushroom gatherer.

Characteristic Appearance

At the base of the stem is a volva, a membranous sheath of tissue that resembles a sack or bag. The cap is egg shaped when young, but flattens out as the mushroom ages. There is usually a ring or circular flap of tissue that runs around the stem beneath the cap.

Signs of Amanita Poisoning

Until approximately 24 hours after ingesting an Amanita, there are few, if any, signs that anything is wrong. After that time, a stomach upset occurs, with diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats. Over time, the vomiting grows worse, until there is a serious danger of dehydration. If not cared for, people get so weak that they die due to heart failure. If this does not happen, the outward symptoms may diminish, but the poisons continue to destroy the internal organs, especially the liver and kidneys. The victim usually remains lucid until death from massive organ failure.

There is no cure for Amanita mushroom poisoning. No one has ever found an antidote for the toxins in the Amanitas, although a combination of vitamins B and C has been found to help eliminate or destroy them. Because of the potential for liver damage, hepatic protectors are often administered, including cortisone, various anti-enzymes, and silymarin (a liver-protecting drug extracted from a plant in the cardoon family).

In serious cases of poisoning, blood transfusions, dialysis, or even liver and kidney transplants are necessary to save the victims' lives. Even these extreme measures are not always successful.
Death's Cap (Amanita phalloides)
The Death's Cap mushroom is responsible for the majority of mushroom deaths; 90% of all fatal mushroom poisonings are caused by this species. Common in both North America and Europe, this mushroom poses one of the biggest risks to casual gatherers. It has a variety of appearances, so it can be difficult to properly identify. Known to contain more than twenty different toxic chemicals, the Death's Cap is not something that you want to eat; ingesting even one mushroom can be lethal.

Identifying Characteristics
The Death's Cap has a surprisingly large number of different appearances. It comes in a variety of colours, so this is not considered a reliable identifying characteristic, but it is most often olive or olive-brown in colour. It can also be pale green or yellow, and is rarely pure white in colour. It is normally about 10 - 18cm in height, with a cap that is about 5 - 15cm in diameter. The gills on the underside of the cap are white, are not directly attached to the stem, and are fairly crowded together. The cap is covered in radiating fibrous tissue, and has a wave-like edge when mature. The spores of this mushroom are white. Oddly enough, the flesh of this mushroom has a faint odour of rose petals; this is an extremely important sign. It is found mostly in the autumn, but also in the summer.

Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa)
This pure white mushroom is actually quite beautiful, but its beauty is only skin deep; like the Death's Cap, this is a lethal mushroom. It's best to stay away from any totally white mushrooms that you come across, even if you think they're safe, because the Angel resembles several other harmless or edible species.

Identifying Characteristics

This mushroom has a hemispherical cap, almost like an inverted bowl or saucer, although this has a tendency to flatten out with time. Also, it has a slightly unpleasant taste and smell, in addition to being totally and completely white. When dry, the cap will feel silky; when wet, the cap will become slimy to the touch. This species often loses its ring, so don't use the presence or absence of a ring to identify it. It is normally about 10 - 18cm tall, with a cap that is about 5 - 10 cm in diameter, and is usually found in summer and autumn.

Additional Mushroom Facts

Mushrooms are fungi, and so are neither plants nor animals. They belong to a totally different branch of living things. Mushrooms are also known as 'toadstools', although many people use this word to describe inedible mushrooms.

The mushroom is actually only a small part of the entire fungus. The part above ground that we see is a fruiting body, known as a sporophore or hymenium, designed to spread reproductive material in the form of spores. Most of the fungus is made up of a complicated underground network of filaments, called the mycelium. The individual filaments are known as hypha (plural, hyphae). Mushrooms form when two different mycelia meet and fuse, producing fruiting bodies.
Fungi contain no chlorophyll, and so are unable to photosynthesize. They digest decaying organic material or parasitize other living things, including animals and insects. Athlete's Foot is an example of a fungus that parasitizes humans. Many cultivated mushrooms are grown deep underground in caves, cellars, and other damp, dark places. A variety of different growth mediums are used, although the most common one is manured soil.

thanks to H2G2 for the information

Highland Holiday Cottages get GOLD

GREAT NEWS

Highland Holiday Cottages near Aviemore are the first in Strathspey & Badenoch for self catering accommodation to attain Gold Eco-rating in the Green Business Tourism Awards.

More to follow shortly.