We are thrilled to announce that The BV has been awarded the prestigious NMA’s Regional Publication of the Year 2024! This amazing accolade is a testament to the hard work, talent and passion of our entire team.
The competition for a 2024 Newspaper and Magazine award was incredibly fierce – 27 industry judges had assessed the 18 categories, which were hotly contested by some of the biggest names in the UK’s publishing industry. The Regional Publication of the Year shortlist was like a who’s who of local media, with The BV up against distinguished publications like Brighton’s local paper, Newsquest-owned The Argus, one of Ireland’s oldest newspapers, The Impartial Reporter, and Wales’ largest newspaper, The Western Mail. Being recognised among such company makes this achievement even more meaningful for such a small, independent team.
The table plan for the 2024 NMAs
The judges commented that The BV demonstrated very clear objectives which were delivered in full, providing incredibly strong results. They noted our exceptionally high standard of social media engagement, and made particular note of the level of our achievement with such a tiny team.
The awards ceremony was held at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square in Mayfair on Wednesday, 23rd May (see all winners on the ACE website here). It was a night to remember, filled with celebration and recognition of excellence in journalism and publishing.
The London Marriott Grosvenor Square’s ballroom was filled with 300 people for the prestigious 2024 Newspaper and Magazine awards!
Most people are aware that at its heart, The BV is just a team of two – but we are supported tirelessly by a the collective effort of our talented writers every month (who were all carefully chosen initially for their excellence, but definitely kept around for their sense of humour). Each member of our team has contributed to making The BV a standout publication, and this honour belongs to every one of us.
Also, a big thank you to our readers and supporters for believing in us and inspiring us to strive for excellence every day. We are committed to continuing our tradition of delivering high-quality journalism and engaging content to our community. Here’s to celebrating this incredible milestone and looking forward to many more successes in the future!
Connecting with nature has positive benefits for our health and wellbeing, says Dorset Local Nature Partnership manager Maria Clarke
The ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ is a set of evidence-based actions that h ave been developed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) – it’s a list of simple ways we can all improve our own health by connecting with people, being active, learning, taking notice/being mindful and giving. If you do any of these while connecting with nature, there are added benefits. I know personally that walking, being in a natural space or simply stopping to take notice of life around me makes me feel good, and can help reduce any anxieties and stresses. At the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown, I decided to give myself a daily dose of nature and to really take notice of nature and even post a photo or video on Facebook. It gave me something to focus on and grounded me in uncertain times. I loved it so much, and felt so many benefits, that I’ve not stopped since! More than 1,300 days later I’m still posting daily pictures, constantly learning about the world around me, trying to be present.
Green prescribing There is increasing scientific evidence of nature’s value to our wellbeing. The Wildlife Trust has recently published a study that shows nature-based wellbeing activities could provide cost savings to the NHS of £635 million pounds. However, we know that there are health inequalities within Dorset, and not everyone has equal access to green spaces. Dorset Wildlife Trust and partners such as the Dorset Local Nature Partnership (Dorset LNP) are working together to have nature-based wellbeing opportunities embedded in the local health system. We are working not only to improve access to nature, but also to promote the benefits of nature in support of both physical and mental health. Health and Nature Dorset (or HAND) is a new collaboration, led by Dorset LNP, to strengthen the county’s nature-based wellbeing. HAND includes a wide range of organisations such as NHS Dorset, Public Health Dorset, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Dorset National Landscape, Active Dorset, National Trust, Dorset Council and BCP Council.
Give nature a go Last year, HAND ran a staff wellbeing programme for the Integrated Care System (those working in NHS Trusts, social care, primary care, and the unitary councils) called Give Nature a Go. Activity sessions were run by HAND members, including forest bathing, yoga, mindfulness and wellbeing walks (sessions were run at DWT’s Kingcombe Meadows, Wild Woodbury and Brownsea Island). We would like to thank our funders, including Southern Co-op, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Community Fund and Natural England, for supporting this fantastic work. Communities can also work together to create wilder, green places on their doorsteps, helping nature to thrive. Our Nextdoor Nature programme helps to support communities leading their own events and activities to help wildlife thrive within their local area.
As always we kick off the month with the letters – editor Laura is looking at the allure of business awards, followed by all the letters to the editor.
Simon Hoare MP has been considering the problematic lack of positivity in politics: ‘People don’t want to vote against things; rather they want to vote for things.’
Ken Huggins of the Green party is loking for ‘a green shift’, and discusses the stricter regulation of the water treatment industry, ‘including 4,000 water company inspections by the Environment Agency in order to ensure that our waterways ‘remain healthy’. But our rivers can hardly ‘remain’ healthy when only 14 per cent of them currently warrant ‘Good’ ecological status.’
Seb Carr, the award-winning teenage rare breeds pig farmer
Gary Jackson of the North Dorset Liberal Democrats is hoping for a new, clearer financial system under the LibDems: ‘The current funding formula is decades old, unfair, opaque … and has reduced local councils to begging for grant funding from central government to construct half-viable budgets.’
Gerald Davies of the North Dorset Labour Party notes that there are 140,000 children in England with no home, and that: ‘The only way this crisis can be tackled is by building significant numbers of truly affordable homes for purchase and for social rent.’
When Seb Carr was eight he received four pigs for Christmas. Now 13, he has one of the largest pedigree herds of the rare British Saddleback pig in the UK, and last year he became the youngest ever recipient of the British Pig Association’s New Pedigree Breeder of the Year award (which apparently involved ‘a LOVELY dinner’ in London ‘with a big stage, lots of lights and loads of other pig people. It was brilliant!’). Terry talks to him about life as a teenage pig farmer – and yes, he has an Xbox too!
Jess giving Mattie a rub down after a training session
Jess Rimmer is the daughter of 5* three day eventer Jo Rimmer – they jointly run Rimmer Eventing from Fontmell Parva. She’s currently juggling running a professional yard with completing her biochemistry degree at Bristol University. Growing up as an eventer’s daughter, and being put on a horse before she could walk didn’t rub off the way her mum intended: “I didn’t even like horses growing up! It wasn’t until I was 12 or 13 when I was watching a friend (who I idolised) riding her pony that I decided “I want to be like her!” and I decided to get on.’
he number of households in temporary accommodation in England is at its highest since records began. Charities now call on the “out of touch” government to ban no-fault evictions and accelerate social housebuilding. Section 21 evictions – enabling landlords to evict renters at short notice without having to give a reason – are a leading cause of homelessness. Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, has said the government would address the housing crisis by “allowing shops, takeaways and betting shops to be turned into living spaces, and changing planning laws to allow more home extensions”. These grand plans are typical of the sticking-plaster ideas of Rishi Sunak’s current government. However, instability in the private rental market, exacerbated in the short term by rising interest rates and mortgage payment increases caused by Liz Truss’s policies, has led to steep rent rises and landlords deciding to sell their properties. The number of households being issued with no-fault evictions has increased by 21% in the past year. The number of families living in hotels past the six-week legal limit has reached another all-time high, jumping from 670 to 1,840 in a year. This is not fine hotel life – families are in cramped conditions with no access to basic cooking or washing facilities. But I want to focus on market towns and rural homelessness. The CPRE has found that the highest level of rural homelessness is in the south west region, where the number of people accepted as homeless by their local council has risen by 36% in five years. These figures only capture those known to the local council and do not include the hidden homeless – in my own village I have seen people living in a minibus in one case and, in another, people living in a summer house in the garden. The only way this crisis can be tackled is by building significant numbers of truly affordable homes for purchase and for social rent. This requires a major change of emphasis by Dorset Council – but this is never going to happen under this current government. Poor housing conditions cause poor health, poor educational attainment and unemployment and can lead to an increase in crime. For too long this government has protected private landlords – why? Perhaps because so many Tory MPs are private landlords? Gerald Davies North Dorset Labour Party
Feltham’s Farm Organic Cheeses triumphed at the Artisan Cheese Awards 2024, winning Best Organic Cheese for their La Fresca Margarita and securing a Gold in the Fresh Class. The competition was intense, with over 600 cheeses from across the UK and Ireland vying for top honors.
Head Cheesemaker Michael Leech (left) & Owner and Cheesemaker Marcus Fergusson (right)
La Fresca Margarita outshone renowned hard cheeses such as Caws Teifi Heritage and Holden Cheese’s Hafod Cheddar to clinch the top spot in the Organic category. This soft cheese, an Organic Queso Fresco, is crafted from the finest single-source organic milk provided by the neighbouring Godminster Farm’s herd in Somerset.
Head Cheesemaker Michael Leech of Feltham’s Farm remarked on the award, saying, “There’s no hiding with such a simple cheese – the quality of the milk is absolutely essential… we hand ladle every pot of this beautiful mousse-like cheese.”
This victory adds to La Fresca Margarita’s impressive accolades. In 2021, it was named Supreme Champion at the Virtual Cheese Awards, surpassing 400 other cheeses. Just last week, it won Best Fresh and Best Sweet Additive Cheese (with Honeyed Fresca) at the same awards.
La Fresca Margarita
Owner and Cheesemaker Marcus Fergusson expressed his delight: “People are really coming back to these young fresh un-aged cheeses, and we are delighted that judges are also recognizing how simple cheese is often the hardest to make really well – this win is a tribute to Michael and the cheesemaking team here, as well as our single source milk partners Bruton Dairy and Godminster.”
Pete Cheek, Manager of Godminster Farm, added, “Bruton Dairy and Godminster are delighted to be working with Feltham’s Farm in producing the Best Organic Artisan Cheese in the UK and Ireland – we give our Friesian/Scandinavian/Fleckvieh cows the best Organic herbal leys that give a fresh cheese like La Fresca Margarita that summer lemony flavour…”
Dorset Food and Drink celebrates local produce this summer – and shares recipes with some of Dorset’s refugee and ethnic minority residents
A Flavours project group get together
Discovering Dorset’s flavours Dorset Food and Drink, the county’s food producer group, doesn’t just support and promote local producers, it also works with refugees and people from ethnic minorities living in the county. The Flavours project, a joint venture with Dorset National Landscape, Dorset Race Equality Council and Grace the Space, is all about finding ways for people from other backgrounds – from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe – to explore and discover some of the farms and open spaces within our local landscape. The aim of Flavours, says Dorset Food and drink coordinator Can Richards, is ‘to help build confidence for refugees and others, to connect them to nature in Dorset and to share food and drink in all its glorious expressions. From picnics, shared lunches and recipe swaps to baking and cooking together and sharing food stories and traditions, food is central to all the activities. ‘Shared meals, crafted from locally sourced ingredients and prepared with care, become more than just sustenance – they become bridges, uniting participants across cultural divides and fostering bonds that transcend differences.’ The group, whose members include a number of Ukrainian refugees, has enjoyed visits to several local farms and parks, including Launceston Farm near Blandford, Durlston Country Park and two organic farms, Middlebere near Arne and Tamarisk at West Bexington. ‘Flavours wants to help make connections and memories that will last … one bite at a time!’ If you would like to get involved with the project – to join the conversation or be a part of this exciting initiative in other ways, contact Caz on 01305 224717 or [email protected].
Feasting with the cygnets Dorset Food and Drink had to cancel Abbotsbury Food Fair, its first major event of 2024, because of heavy rain and flooding – so it’s fingers tightly crossed for the two-day Abbotsbury Swannery Food & Craft Fair over the late May bank holiday weekend, Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th May. It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful or atmospheric setting than the centuries-old swannery – the only place in the world where visitors are able to walk through a colony of nesting mute swans. The Benedictine monks, who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040s, farmed the swans for food. The monastery was destroyed in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the 14th century tithe barn, the largest of its kind in the country, is the only remaining monastic building. The Abbotsbury Swannery food fair coincides with the arrival of the new season’s cygnets, so it is a particularly special time to visit. As well as a wide range of Dorset Food and Drink members and craft stalls, visitors and their children can enjoy the new Brambly Hedge Trail, the Swan Maze, arts and crafts activities and pedal go-karts. There will also be live music. The fair is open both days from 10am to 4pm. For tickets visit abbotsburytickets.co.uk
Abbotsbury Swannery Food & Craft Fair
Dorset Food and Arts Festival This festival began life as a one-off, two-day event to celebrate artisan Dorset food and drink producers during the 2012 Olympics, when Weymouth was the base for the sailing competitions. The festival took root, and this year will be held on Saturday 3rd August. It is still very much one of the foodie highlights of the summer, still in Poundbury and still free for the public. The original festival was a memorable one – the team, including representatives of the Duchy of Cornwall and Dorset Farmers Market, had some generous sponsorship which enabled them to hire a big screen where visitors, sitting on straw bales and enjoying local beer and hot food, were able to sit all day and long into the evening, cheering Britain’s haul of gold medals. The aim of the festival was always to celebrate Dorset creativity in food, drink and arts and crafts, with free entrance, all day entertainment, and chef competitions and demos. Free to enter (and park) and packed with thousands of visitors, it was a stark – and successful – contrast to the over-priced “Olympic festival”, which swiftly collapsed financially on the Saturday. Now based at the Great Field, Dorset Food and Arts Festival continues to champion the best of Dorset, with 60 plus stalls showcasing a great lineup of local food, drink, art, craft and community talent. Caz Richards says: ‘The brilliant thing is that when you shop at events like this, you get to meet the people who make, bake, farm, grow, cook, preserve, pickle and serve you with all this local goodness – many of them award-winning!’
More local foodie dates for your diary:
Shaftesbury has a long tradition of food events, festivals, fairs and eccentric competitions – and this year sees the launch of a new annual celebration, Feastival, on Sunday 5th May, from 10am to 5pm on the High Street and Park Walk. Combining food stalls, an artisan market, foraging walks, hot food, cookery demonstrations and the infamous Gold Hill Cheese Run (that’s UP the steep cobbled hill), it has something for everyone and, like the Dorset Food and Arts Festival, entry is free – so you have no excuse not to spend lots of money! For more on Shaftesbury Feastival see the feature from the April issue of The BV.
This year’s Royal Bath & West Show runs from 30th May to the 1st June. Each day you can watch a cocktail masterclass, and foodies should definitely make the most of the free cooking demos as the celebrity chef guests will be cooking up a storm in the Great British Kitchen. For years, food lovers have been coming to the show to enjoy the artisan delights they can find in the food tent. As always there will be plenty of street food vendors dotted around the showground, including the Pilton tent, and on the main lawn – ideal locations to sit, eat and enjoy the entertainment.
The re-scheduled Spring Countryside Show is now to take place on 8th and 9th June at Turnpike Showground near Gillingham. It will focus on offering food from the South West, and you will find venison burgers and rare breed sausage rolls. For those into gin or cheese, artisan makers will be showcasing their produce … and who doesn’t want to ‘sample’ a brownie or a doughnut? You’ll also be able to have a go at crafting, meet heavy horses, delight in a madcap clown stunt show and learn about heritage steam engines …
Some of the other major events in May and June are Gate to Plate at Axminster on 27th May, Christchurch Food Festival on 25th to 27th May, Bridport Food Festival on 14th and 15th June and Swanage Fish Festival on 15th and 16th June.
This month, Sally Cooper shares Rodney’s recent medical saga, with a stunningly swift, unexpected diagnosis and treatment
Rodney, ever hopeful for something tasty in your pocket
This month I was contemplating what to write about – the endlessly long muddy, mild, wet, winter (or the arrival of spring… and midges)? The no-accident Grand National? The London Cavalry horses loose in the city? In the end, I must write about my lovely grey donkey. Rodney (aged three) is my rescue foal and I adore him. Having recently lost his mate Henry to leukaemia, we found the lovely ‘fluffy Pebbles’ as his new friend. They are a happy duo – they eat, sleep and play fight with jolly smiles on their faces and very loud brays when I so much as sneeze in the house or move a muscle in the garden. Last week I felt Rodney seemed a little preoccupied, and thought I saw a small swelling on his male member. I decided it must be my imagination… but two days later there were several lumps. Another day and we were in a bloody mess. The vet was called, and she was alarmed at both the rapid growth and size of the tumours. “To the surgeon. Stat.” was the suggested course of action. Sad Henry déjà vu set in, but two days later we were off to the equine hospital in Salisbury. Thankfully both Rodney and Mr Pebbles loaded swiftly onto the lorry – an unexpected good start. The Shetland who mothers the donks was placed with Big Alf the cob for the day, and off we set.
Nope. Arrival at the hospital gave us our first ‘NOPE. Not doing that.’ Donkeys tend to shut down and internalise their fear – a donkey’s typical reaction to not wanting to do something is to plant his feet and refuse to move. And there was no way our pair were going into that five star bedroom with its blatantly horrific offering of deep shavings, fresh water and nice view from the sunny window. The super-Hibiscrubbed clean hospital was, in fact, lip-curlingly yucky, smelly and NO. Thank you. Twenty minutes and five humans later they were finally in their luxury stable. The operation went well. Said male member was lasered, and then oil-suspended chemotherapy was injected to hit any other bad cells. We had a sad grumpy Rodney on the way home, while the irrepressibly bouncy Pebbles wondered what an earth the day trip had been for. Five days later and we had the biopsy results – Rodney has malevolent sarcoid cancer*. It will reappear at some point. So we will live life for the moment, and enjoy every minute we have with him.
Rodney with his partner in crime, the fluffy Pebbles Images: Sally Cooper
Return to full throttle Like most families we’ve been assessing the candidates for the local elections, and have been talking about our public sector services. The donkeys led to some interesting conversations about the state of the human NHS versus the private (super swift) animal service. The sad conclusion that we all reached is that you are better off being an animal – with a great vet and a speedy, informative equine hospital – if you want to go from ‘something might be wrong’ to surgery and your results inside eight days. On a more serious note, the men in the house all agreed that it had genuinely made them aware of the need to check ourselves regularly for lumps. Rodney and Pebbles are back to their jolly selves, with the happy rotation of eating and sleeping and boxing each other around the ears. Rodney had a few days with no voice but is now back to full throttle – and I am back to stealthily creeping out of bed in the morning. Long may their happy days continue. Carpe diem everyone.
Sarcoids are the most common skin tumour in horses and donkeys – although they look initially like warts, they are a form of skin cancer.
Visiting one of Dorset’s best jam and marmalade producers, Rachael Rowe discovers that A Jar Of’s cookery courses are just as inspirational
Hand raised pork pies for lunch All images: Rachael Rowe
The conversation was already flowing as I walked into The Jammery – a converted cowshed at Droop Farm, and headquarters of AJar Of. Founder Tracey Collin’s popular jams and chutneys are a feature in farm shops all over Dorset, but I’m here for the Picnic Season Workshop. Before I’ve even taken a bite of the more-ish homemade oat biscuits, the tips are coming at me thick and fast. The chat varies from how to find recipes with a useful cookery book app, the difference between a jam and other preserves, to why Black Garlic Ketchup is divine with chips. I’m here to enjoy a day of cookery – to learn about making jam and chutney but Tracey is just as keen to teach how to include them in other recipes: ‘There’s more to jam and chutney than just sticking it on your toast!’
Matt Whiting and Tracey Collins at Droop Farm
A full recipe list Tracey and Matt Whiting from Winfrith Bakery run regular workshops at The Jammery. She naturally teaches the jams and chutneys section of the day, while Matt’s expertise is in the baked goods – which always incorporate a preserve into the recipe. The plan for the day-long picnic workshop includes jumbleberry jam, a spicy tomato, apple and tamarind chutney, hand raised pork pies and egg custard tarts. As you would expect with a chutney making session, we start the day with a LOT of chopping. Safe knife techniques are essential, and, never one to miss a teaching moment, Tracey demonstrates how to chop an onion so it doesn’t make you cry – or lose a finger – and how to smash a garlic clove. It’s at classes like this you learn easier and better ways of doing things. Tracey has been making and selling jams and chutneys for 13 years: ‘I started by making cakes and selling them in a local farmers market in Beaconsfield. One day I took 63 jars of jam and I was left with a handful. I thought: “Well, that’s OK.” My husband, who has an accountancy background, was even more impressed because he saw there was no waste. ‘When it came to choosing a business name, we went to the pub to discuss it, as you do. My friend said, “Look, it can’t be that hard. For goodness’ sake, it’s a jar of…” and the rest is history. She’s been claiming royalties ever since!’
Chutney making in The Jammery with Tracey Collins of Ajar of
First-time pastry cook As the chutney simmered away, Matt took charge with a sweet pastry making session, using a delayed shortcrust technique to keep the pastry tender. Gluten forms as soon as liquid comes into contact with flour, and this technique delays the gluten formation, involving mixing the butter, sugar and half the flour, followed by the eggs and then the remaining flour. I had to confess it was my first time making pastry from scratch – I expected to get a cone of shame to wear, but Matt just raised an eyebrow with a bemused look. I was soon amazed at how simple and quick it was to produce a decent looking pastry. What a confidence boost! Of course, the expert tuition and supportive environment was a major factor in my success.
Rachael’s first ever pastry, made into delicious egg custard tarts
Scratch cook Servings of the hand-raised pork pie and delicious custard tarts filled the table for lunch, and as we chatted over the food I discovered both my fellow students were return attendees. ‘People tend to come back,’ says Tracey. ‘It’s the cooking, but also the atmosphere, it’s so relaxed.’ Richard is obviously passionate about cooking and always enjoys a day in the kitchen: ‘Some people relax with a yoga session or have a long bath,’ he says. ‘Me, I love a day of cooking.’ Time passed by in a swift blur as we made jumbleberry jam with a mixture of soft fruits, constantly absorbing tips and techniques for better cooking. Then another pastry session, this time making a hot water crust pastry for the (proper) pork pies, learning how to hand raise them before filling them with meat and a decent dollop of chutney. Finally, it was time to fill those egg custard tart cases with an extra dose of jam at the base before baking them. I drove home in a warm and fragrant car laden with food – and a mountain of inspiration to cook more. Funnily enough my partner couldn’t wait to help me unload the boxes –or tuck into my pork pie. Taking part in a cookery workshop at Ajar Of is a relaxed and practical way to learn how to incorporate chutneys and jams into recipes, and also to avoid food waste. My own pastry making really showed me that we live in a convenience world where ready-made is all too easy. Time spent learning to cook recipes from scratch is not only good for life skills, it provides valuable space for reflection and shows us how easy it is to reduce our consumption of ultra-processed foods simply by planning a batch cooking session. The next course in June has a strawberry and lemon theme ajar-of.co.uk
