A great escape: unique Yorkshire Dales retreat for food, art and garden enthusiasts

This summer, some of the best culinary, art and gardening talent from the North are joining forces to offer a four-day, all-inclusive, one-of-a-kind experience break that embraces everything the Yorkshire Dales has to offer.

The retreat will be hosted by With M, a luxury Yorkshire Dales ‘gourmet getaway’ business set up in 2021 by Yorkshire Private Chef, Michaela Hanna with the aim to create memorable experiences that offer much more than a typical staycation.

Commenting on her inspiration for hosting activity retreats, Michaela Hanna said: “Many of us forget to take time out to do the things we love. So, I decided to develop engaging experiences for people to escape the ordinary with a getaway in beautiful Yorkshire, enjoy some delicious food, expand their culinary knowledge and learn and relax with expert-led activities.”

Passionate about creating joyful experiences that guests will remember in years to come, Michaela teams up with other local experts to showcase what the Yorkshire Dales has to offer and to share their expertise to guide guests through activities they’re interested in.

At this Summer’s retreat, Michaela will be joined by Horticulturist and Founder of The Northern School of Gardening, Dean Bolton-Grant and highly-regarded local landscape artist, Sarah Garforth to appeal to green-fingered guests and passionate artists of all abilities.

Michaela explained: “Whether you’re a cooking, gardening or art pro or total beginner, guests are going to relish in all this retreat has to offer. From fine dining feasts and cooking demonstrations, self-guided walks across the spectacular Nidderdale countryside, wonderful drypoint etching workshop led by Sarah and gardening classes with Dean who is delivering a masterclass on planting, and how to grow amazing fruit and vegetables in your gardens”.

Dean Bolton-Grant added: “I’m delighted to be teaming up with Michaela and Sarah for this Yorkshire retreat that’s offering something out of the ordinary and creating a fantastic reason for people to visit the local area.

“The gardening day will be hosted in the beautiful gardens of the Yorke Arms, where I’ll be running a morning and afternoon session. The first is focused on planting techniques and getting to grips with combining plants and garden design. The afternoon session will focus on how to grow your own vegetables and cultivating healthy vegetable crops.”

Sarah Garforth said: “The art element of the retreat will focus on drypoint etching - a printing process where an image is drawn or scratched into the surface of a piece of Plexiglas using a variety of tools. We’ll be taking our inspiration from the incredible beauty of the Yorkshire countryside throughout the workshop”.

During this exclusive break, charismatic chef, Michaela will be delighting guests with four-days of fine dining at The Yorke Arms in Pateley Bridge - one of Yorkshire’s luxury private event venues.

The Feasting, Art and Gardening retreat takes place on Thursday 14th July 2022 until Sunday 17th July. For more details visit www.withm.co.uk.