Melton Mowbray
I would like to introduce you to Emma from Adventures of an English Mum. She’ll be serving as a columnist here, covering the East Midlands region of England. I have enjoyed reading her blog and I’m very pleased for her to be writing here. Welcome Emma!
Melton Mowbray
In the middle of England tucked away amongst the farms and horse riding schools is a little Market Town called Melton Mowbray. The townsfolk are a mixture of Farmers, members of the Hunt and some City people who have managed to escape from Leicester, the nearest big City. There are a few shops, some amazingly cute Tea Rooms and some typically English sights that are integral to life here:
The Church and The Great British pub!
Almost every village and Town has at least one at the heart of it. Alongside another sight that is fast disappearing from English Streets……an old fashioned red telephone box mainly being put out of service by the technology of the pesky mobile phone!!
Melton is the home of the Pork Pie…….a meat pie made of chopped pork and pork jelly all enclosed in delicious pastry. It may sound disgusting but it is truly a delight to eat, usually cold and as a snack! Pork pies were first popular with fox hunters in the 19th Century and nowadays only pies that are made here can carry the Melton Mowbray brand! They (surprisingly!!) sell them here:
The town is also famous as one of the homes of Stilton Cheese…..no wonder they like to be known as ‘The Rural Capital of Food’.
Just up the road from Melton is the Vale of Belvoir which looks a lot like this:
Aaahhhh the glory that is the English Countryside in the Summer. Sat atop a hill and the Crown in the Vale is Belvoir Castle the seat of the Duke of Rutland:
There has been a castle on this spot since the Norman times and the Castle has been under the Ownership of the current Family for more than 500 years!! The castle sits in around 15,000 acres, most of which is open to the public (the Family live in the rest of it….lucky things!!!) The gardens are pretty cool and the current Duchess is in the process of restoring the Secret Valley Garden and the Rustic Summerhouse.
This is one of my favourite times of the year to visit the Castle as they usually hold jousting contests about now!!! It’s quite a sight to behold. Knights with big poles everywhere and in my experience the bad Knights are always hotter 
If you get a chance to visit this Summer it’s definitely worthwhile!
Welcome, Emma. Always learning something new here whenever I get the opp to make it, that is.
Comment by Mmm... — June 29, 2010 @ 4:33 am
Yay, Melton! It’s my husband’s hometown so I have spent a lot of time there
It is a lovely little town. Hoping to go there again sometime in autumn.
I have tasted pork pie and it wasn’t that bad but I will stay away from the Stilton. Eww.
Comment by Kati — June 29, 2010 @ 5:09 am
An a yummy pie. one of those very British things I like.
Comment by Mo — June 29, 2010 @ 11:23 am
@Kati……It is a lovely Town…..I hope that I’ve represented it well!!! I love pork pie but I’m not so keen on the Stilton it has to be said!!!
@Mo……It is very yummy indeed!!!
Comment by Emma — June 29, 2010 @ 12:46 pm
Hi Emma, love to read your posts and happy to follow you here. As one who has never been to England I really enjoy learning about your Country from your post and photos.
John
Comment by John Carlson — June 29, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
Great review, as a caterer it is fantastic area of the country to get fresh ingredients to cook with. I just love the castle and driving around it in the summer with the windows open, even better if the sun is actually shining.
Comment by Tim — June 29, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
Oh yes, you did a very good job
I forgot to mention that I have also been to Belvoir Castle while they had jousting contests – I loved the knight dressed in black *daydreams*
So do you live in Melton yourself, Emma?
Comment by Kati — June 29, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
@Kati….See they are definitely the hottest
I live about 10 miles away! What about you?
Comment by Emma — June 29, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
Just what I dream English towns and countryside should look like. Nice to know it really exists!
Comment by Miss Marla — June 29, 2010 @ 6:16 pm
Wow, That is a very gorgeous countryside. I don’t think we have anything that pretty in the States. My great grandmother was from England & I hope to visit someday.
Comment by Grandma Sharon — June 29, 2010 @ 6:45 pm
@Miss Marla……It truly does look like that….you should come visit
Comment by Emma — June 29, 2010 @ 8:17 pm
Used to live in Leicester and loved going out to Mrlton for pork pie and Stilton! But you didn’t explain how to pronounce Belvoir…
Comment by Jen — June 29, 2010 @ 11:25 pm
Pork Pies!!! I pay a fortune for the imported ones ($6=GBP3). They arrive every Thursday morning at our local English shop in Brisbane, Australia-yummy!!
Oh the English pics and your article make me so homesick!!
Comment by Aunty Nelly — June 30, 2010 @ 1:22 am
@Emma
I love spending time there!
My husband and I currently live in Finland where I am from, but his family still lives in Melton, very close to the town centre. Hope to go and visit them sometime in Sep-Oct
Comment by Kati — June 30, 2010 @ 5:10 am
@MMM…..Thank you for the lovely comment!
@Tim….You are right about the fab ingredients!
@John……I’m glad you enjoy it, it’s a beautiful part of the Country!
@Grandma Sharon…..As soon as I can afford it hun, I’ll fly you over xxx
@Jen…..It’s pronounced Beaver!!! Forgot that it was so weird
Comment by Emma — June 30, 2010 @ 8:05 pm
@Kati……Awesome, maybe we could meet for a coffee when you are over here?? x
Comment by Emma — June 30, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
I can’t see why not! One can never have too many friends
Will let you know once we have got the flights booked, etc. x
Comment by Kati — July 1, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
Dear Emma
Well, what a beautiful place to enjoy a pork pie and a pint of ale!
Thank you.
Comment by Dean Measor — July 7, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
@Dean….It is pretty cool!!! Glad you enjoyed it and hope you get to visit one day!
Comment by Emma — July 7, 2010 @ 9:03 pm
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