Renaissance Tapestry by Kate Simon

Kate Simon grew up in Alsager, Cheshire, a small town near the Staffordshire border that is still affectionately referred to as the village by locals. With pedal-powered adventures to the outlying fringes of Oakhanger, Barthomley, and Hassall Green, she acquired the travel itch early on. She discovered the attractions of the old market town of Nantwich, where she attended sixth form, and the headier delights of urbane Chester when her family moved deeper into the county, to the hamlet of Hough. Kate maintained strong ties with friends and family in Cheshire when she came to London to pursue a career in journalism, and she continues to visit on a regular basis. She received an invitation from Visit Cheshire in 2010 to rediscover her home county and produce a food and drink guide for the region.

Kate's passion to champion Cheshire through her journalism - and to create this book - was fuelled by the experience. Kate has worked as a writer and editor for almost three decades. Suzanne King grew up in northeast Cheshire: in Poynton (source of her earliest childhood recollections, a hazy combination of bluebell woods and blackberry picking, abandoned brick kilns and agricultural exhibitions); and in Poynton (source of her earliest childhood memories, a hazy mix of abandoned brick kilns and agricultural shows); and in Poynton (source of her earliest childhood memories, a hazy mix of abandoned brick kilns and agricultural shows Although though she lived and worked as a writer in London and elsewhere for many years, she never completely left the country, maintaining strong ties with local relatives and friends.

She returned to her northwest origins ten years ago and now works as a freelance travel writer for a variety of publications, including Telegraph Travel, where she assesses Cheshire's top hotels, inns, and B&Bs. Working on this book has given me the perfect reason to spend every free moment pootling around the local countryside, revisiting old haunts, discovering new ones, and enjoying as many regional cheeses, beers, and ice creams as possible.