My Yorkshire: Elizabeth Balmforth

What's your first Yorkshire memory?

I was born in Staffordshire, and my first real gardening memory is of being given a little patch of land, a tiny plot, by my mother, and being told that I could cultivate that. I put little stones all around it as a border. My first Yorkshire memory, however, is of meeting my late grandfather-in-law, Joe, at the Delver's Pub in Wainstalls, Halifax, and of him introducing me to a perfectly kept pint of Timothy Taylor's. He promised me that "if you like that, lass, you'll never drink anything else". He was right, bless him – it's still a huge favourite.

What's your favourite part of the county – and why?

Apart from Harlow Carr? It has to be where I live, Harrogate. It is one of the greenest communities that I know – The Stray, the Valley Gardens (you can walk up from there to us), it's all so open and lush. And despite the (incorrect) image that it is a town for old people, it is still very vibrant. I love living there.

What's your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?

Going to Robin Hood's Bay with my husband and maybe some friends, and looking for fossils on the beach, which is always a lovely way to pass the time. I've found some really beautiful ammonites over the years – they are such interesting things to look at. Later in the day, it would be fish and chips and a few drinks somewhere nice and relaxing.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

Yes, it would be the coastal walk between Runswick Bay and Robin Hood's Bay, which is beautiful at any time of the year – in fact, maybe we do prefer it when it is out of season, and when the spray is coming in. You get a contrast in colours between the sea and the land, and the light is ever-changing. It's very special.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

I would have loved to have met the late Jane Tomlinson. What a remarkable woman – entirely focused on doing things for others, even as her own life was going though a terrible crisis. She was (and is) an inspiration to so many. I love the way that her husband and her children now carry on her superb work. They are indomitable. Doesn't her daughter look so much like her, by the way?

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

I don't suppose that I am the first to answer Dame Judi Dench. Another remarkable woman, and everyone who has met her (oh, how I wish I could!) tells me how charming she is, and that "what you see is what you get". She's got talent in so many fields – all the way from serious dramatic roles to something like As Time Goes By.

If you had to name your Yorkshire "hidden gem", what would it be?

Parceval Hall and gardens. It's not far from Bolton Abbey, and before his death it was the home of that great horticulturalist, Sir William Milner. It's now a retreat, but the public are allowed in, and, believe me, it is very definitely worth a visit. It's a very peaceful place, and I am delighted that the NHS has had a long and very happy association with it. There are lots of specimen trees from China and the Himalayas. I love it. I am also a big fan of the Kursall Theatre, in Harrogate, which, now restored to its original glory, is a stunning piece of architecture.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The moors, the gorse, the landscape, and, of course, the people. Coming from Staffordshire, I discovered that Yorkshire folk have a very dry wit and sense of humour all of their own, which (I found) took about six or eight months for me to appreciate properly. They'd say things to me, and I'd think 'that's a bit off', and I had misunderstood entirely. Six years on, and I now give as good as I get.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

Rugby Union, and Leeds Tykes…. My husband was a very keen player until he had a run of very bad injuries and his doctor warned him that enough was enough. For me, Union is far superior to League. Now is that contentious, or what?

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

I love the friendly atmosphere of The Coach and Horses, in West Park, in Harrogate, which is a really friendly "local". Then there's the Estbek House, in Sandsend, which is brilliant, and finally (but by no means least), we love the Clock Tower, in Rudding Park.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

I go a lot to Archimbaldo's, on King's Road, in Harrogate, which is everything that a really superlative deli ought to be. I used to live nearby, and I still go back there time after time after time. And then there's Fodder, at the Yorkshire Showground, which has fresh food like you've never tasted. That's another regular Saturday haunt.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you've known it?

I think that there is a very laudable and growing appreciation for and of, open spaces. What I don't like is the fact that more and more people are crowded into housing developments – which is the reason that they appreciate space (when they get it) all the more. I'm unhappy that so many people around you don't know their neighbours. We're personally lucky in that we do, and we get on wonderfully well. Isn't a paradox, though, that as we all live closer together, we know less and less about the people next door? I don't mean in an intrusive sense, but in just "looking after" someone when things go wrong. Those old neighbourly qualities seem to be eroding so quickly, more's the pity.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Easy one – the late and much missed Geoffrey Smith, who only died last year. He was an inspirational gardener and a man passionate about what he did. Geoffrey transformed Harlow Carr, he could be approached by anyone at all, and we now have a memorial (and rightly so) to him in the gardens that he loved so much. His work will stand the test of time, I am sure. I miss him greatly – but I am so lucky because every single day I am surrounded by what he achieved.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Every second of every minute of every hour. I love the biodiversity of Harlow Carr, I love the sustainable planting, I love every single little bit of its flora and fauna. "Influenced?" The word simply isn't strong enough.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre, WH Auden's remarkable poetry, which is still as relevant today as when he first wrote it, the Kaiser Chiefs – total originals. And then what about Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth? Let's throw that gentle, remarkable, talented soul, Alan Bennett, into the mix as well. I snap up every book he writes, watch everything

he does for TV and film. They are all of them big-time favourites of mine in their own ways.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

I'm (of course) going to say Harlow Carr, of which we are all inordinately proud, and where we have just opened a Learning Centre, which is proving to be a huge hit. We love working with children. We've had nearly 300,000 visitors this year, and all I can say is "please keep coming". Staycation holidays have actually helped us, I think – people are more and more passionate about their gardens, and so many want to grow their own fruit and veg. And, if I can also mention that wonderful place, The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the stranger could then have two brilliantly memorable days out.

YP MAG 9/10/10