WE’VE GOT an action-packed summer, and lots to keep families busy during July and August. Whether you’re the organiser, the picnic packer or the lucky participants, getting out together and joining in the fun is what holidays are all about.

You can make your own fun here by cooking up a treat in the mud pie kitchen, building a den to hide away in, playing traditional games on the lawn, or by joining one of the special food-themed activities.

On Thursday August 1 we’re excited to be welcoming back local master baker Mike Armstrong to East Riddlesden Hall to celebrate Yorkshire Day. This day marks Lammas (loaf-mass), a traditional celebration of the annual wheat harvest. Mike will join us to share his love of bread-making and let us into a few secrets on how to bake the perfect loaf.

You can knead your own tasty dough ready to bake at home. The 45-minute sessions will take place at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. We’ll be running volunteer-led Bread in the Barn sessions on alternate Tuesdays from July 16 at 1.30-2.30pm. You’ll get hands on making your own tasty dough following a simple, traditional recipe, and hear about the history of bread too.

On alternate Sundays from July 21 we’ll be making butter in the barn between 2-3pm. You’ll discover the secret of how butter was traditionally made by hand, and experience how difficult making and keeping butter before the days of electricity and gadgets was for the people who once worked at the hall. Try your hand at making butter and take a small pot home with you to compare with modern day butter.

From July 22 you can experience tastes and smells of the past, and see how 17th century gingerbread compares to that of today, at our gingerbread making sessions. These sessions run every Monday and Thursday at 11.30am and 2pm. Tickets for Lammas and the bread and butter making sessions are £2, gingerbread making is £1. Please buy your tickets in the shop upon arrival. Spaces are limited, and general admission prices also apply (free entry for National Trust members).

This summer you can enjoy the great British tradition of outdoor theatre at its very best. Join us on August 21 for an evening performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Performed by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, this is a show is guaranteed to fill the air with magic, romance and laughter. Picnics welcome from 6pm, show starts at 7pm. Tickets are £16 for adults, £8 for under 18s and are available to book by calling 0344 249 1895 or by visiting nationaltrust.org.uk/riddlesdenhall/whats-on.

East Riddlesden Hall is open Saturdays to Thursdays, 10.30am-4.30pm. Admission’s free for National Trust members and under-fives. Admission charges apply for non-National Trust members.