It couldn’t have been a more delightful day at Bedford Landings than February 8, 2015! The temperatures rose to 66 degrees, we opened the windows and welcomed six wonderful biscuit makers who were enrolled in Biscuit School 101. Now that was something beautiful in and of itself! They donned their aprons and gathered around the island. These photos don’t even begin to show the fun these women had making biscuits!

Jack instructed them on basic biscuits and all the associated secrets then demonstrated making sausage gravy and a biscuit dessert that includes honey and cream cheese! 

 

Warm biscuits- now that’s a beautiful sight!

 

After biscuit school, Jack and I decided it was nice enough to take a plane ride over the lake. If you have never seen the lake by air, then you are missing something beautiful! On a clear day, you can see for miles and miles, can identify people’s houses, and I love it when I can take my camera along. I took 86 photos in about 30 minutes while were in the air. I am sharing only a few. Mainly I am trying to get a good aerial of the house but it may be summer before I get the perfect one! Everything will be green then!

We ended the day sitting on the deck watching the sun set. Now that’s something beautiful!

 

Honored? Yes, Bedford Landings is honored to have been nominated through the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce for an award. Only Chamber members vote for these awards.  We were nominated in the category of Tourism and Hospitality Promoter. While, honored, we were not selected and we give kudos to Sunken City Brewery who was recognized. We did however, attend a very festive Chamber of Commerce dinner stylin’ in a tuxedo and cocktail dress for the occasion. We met new people, did a little networking, and shared in a fun evening!

Also recently, Bedford Landings is honored in the latest issue of the Laker magazine. Anyone who has access to the internet can vote online for many tourism categories. Being a first year business, it was spectacular to see our name listed. Bedford Landings was given an honorable mention in the categories of “New Business” as well as “Places to Stay Overnight.” So yes, Bedford Landings is honored! But our greatest honor is serving such a wonderful community. Applause!

Don’t forget upcoming Biscuit & Gravy class is at 2:00 on Sunday, February 8th . We have room for 2 more to enroll. Email:
karen@bedfordlandings.com

Don’t for get that Valentine’s Day is around the corner. We have two room still available and are willing to help you make that day special! Think chocolate, wine, spa treatments, surprise baskets, and more.  Karen can help you price these amenities.

And even though we have a cold day here and there, don’t forget that Spring is around the corner and soon Bedford Landings will be honored to have you visiting us again!

Jack is cookin’ in the kitchen and when he is making biscuits at Bedford Landings, the flour is a-flying!  Jack went to Biscuit School at a Southern Season’s in Chapel Hill twice and says he learned some very basic things about making biscuits.  Instead of hockey pucks, come learn the trades secrets of making biscuits with Jack.

If the first class is fully enrolled, he will offer it again. The first date is Sunday February 8 at 2:00 pm. This Biscuits at Bedford Landings class will last 2 hours and cost $25 per person. We are going to only enroll 4 people in the first class to give personal attention and see how many will work in our space.  Those who attend will learn to make southern style biscuits and rich sausage gravy. Call 540-488-4600 to register or email karen@bedfordlandings.com. The second date is tentative on February 22 but if fully enrolled, we will definitely hold it. We will keep a waiting list if you call after 4 are enrolled.

One of our kitchen features you will see, if you enroll in Biscuits at Bedford Landings, is the dough hole.  What better way to clean up after making a mess then to scrape it all away!  He loves to show it off, but here is a sneak preview!

We are considering more classes for Fall and Spring.  What else would be of interest for small classes? (POLL WILL POP-UP!)

Bedford Landings is not just a summer destination but there are many things that make it a special place in the winter. Just think about this winter special relaxation image.

-A roaring hot fire while you warm yourself close by with a piping hot cup of tea, coffee or cocoa;

-Warming your whole body in the grand guest hot tub complete with comfy robes and towels nearby;

 But what makes it really a deal as a winter special at Bedford Landings? When you make a reservation, use with these words in the comment section of the reservations page, “I hear Bedford Landings is beautiful this time of year.” That alone will get you 10% off of your already winter special Bedford Landings room rate. If you call in a reservation, just say those words to get winter special pricing!

But there is more!

In February, you may enroll in a winter special at Bedford Landings biscuit class.  Jack will hold this at least once. If it goes well, he will offer it again. The first date is February 8 at 2:00 pm. This winter special Bedford Landings will last 2 hours and cost $25 per person. Attendees will learn to make southern style biscuits and rich sausage gravy. Call 540-488-4600 to register or email karen@bedfordlandings.com. For this class, the limit is 4 people. The second date is tentative on February 22 but if fully enrolled, we will definitely hold it. We will keep a waiting list.

Winter special Bedford Landings Valentines Day

We have rooms still available for a romantic get away for Valentines weekend. We will work with you to make it special!

So make your winter warm by coming to Bedford Landings!

 

 

Ho, Ho, Ho who wouldn’t know that Bedford Landings is “dressed” for the holidays! The first item of business was to “dress” the 8-foot wide, 33 feet tall fireplace! I tried a 24 inch wreath that was simply dwarfed. So I went to Southern Roots to ask Susie to try to make the largest wreath she could and she came up with what I will call the Winter-Fall-Holiday wreath. This spring I hope she will construct a Spring-Summer wreath. That way, I don’t need to get the 12-foot ladder out except twice a year to change it! I am so glad that I took this photo of Susie to show how large (48″) this wreath actually is!

Of course we had to get a tree that was equally scaled to a room with a 33-foot vaulted ceiling. We drove to Floyd and selected a live 12-foot Fraser Fur that was cut and wrapped. It only fell over once, crashing a lamp to the floor while we were trying to straighten it!

Throughout the house, we have added hints of holiday décor. We have decorated the Fourth Room in seasonal reds and holiday colors and put just a bit of the season in each of the other rooms.

Starting in November, our guests tasted a few new recipes. We experimented with pumpkin pancakes and cranberry muffins for the season which were well-received, but we also found out that some people really don’t like pumpkin. Who knew?! As for the Cranberry muffins, you need to put in far more sugar than the recipe calls for to counter the berry tartness. But they are festive!

We hosted our family (16 made it for lunch) in house for Thanksgiving (love the Fam!) and are hosting the Professional Women’s Resources holiday gathering on December 9^th with guest chef, Parker Lee, who will prepare Small Plates. The tables are set for this event occurring tomorrow. Afterwards, I can’t wait to share the photos of the food with readers!

I WILL blog again this month so watch for it! Share the link with others and know that we are getting ready to announce a Winter Escape deal for guests. We do have all rooms available for New Year’s Eve at this time and are accepting reservations.

On a personal note,  Jack acquired a new 1953 Cessna 170B and is teaching bagpipe lessons at Bedford Landings. Karen has returned to playing racket ball and continues to work with Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech.

Life is good.  Feel it in the spirit of the season and rejoice!