This recipe is my version of a Shakshuka recipe. Traditionally this is a simple dish of spicy tomatoes with onions and peppers, with some eggs baked into the top. I have taken the liberty of embellishing it with a number of delicious extras, making it into a wonderful, lazy brunch dish, perfect for a long, sunny Bank Holiday weekend … Heather
Heat the oven to 180º fan/gas 6, and line a tray with baking parchment.
Cut the potatoes into small bite-size pieces and cut the tomatoes in half. Place on the tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until beginning to brown.
While the potatoes and tomatoes are roasting, chop the onion, pepper, mushroom, bacon and chorizo into small pieces.
In a large frying pan on a medium/high heat, drizzle a little more oil and add all the chopped ingredients. Fry until everything has softened well and the bacon begins to get crispy. Remove from the heat until the potatoes and tomatoes are ready.
Once the potatoes and tomatoes have roasted, take them out of the oven and add them to the frying pan. Return the mixture to the heat and stir. Drizzle in the balsamic vinegar and honey and stir, then add the passata and stir well.
Once everything is bubbling, reduce the heat and make dips in the top of the mixture with the back of a large spoon. Crack the eggs into the dips in the tomato mixture. Put the lid on the frying pan and leave the eggs to cook – they will take about 3-4 minutes.
Serve with warm, crusty bread, avocados and fresh coffee.
This long-term sounding government is turning out to be just as short-term-thinking as its predecessor, and it’s got people on an irritated edge. Combined with broader world events, there’s a general jangling of nerves. From the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, through renewed fighting in Gaza, to the ongoing European conflict in Ukraine, global events are causing anxiety and concern. Closer to home, the Spring Statement has needlessly left us feeling uneasy about the financial future and pondering on the Government’s mixed messages. The changes to welfare are a particular area of the government’s contradictory decisions. I say “yes, absolutely” to the dignity of work and purpose and that as many people as possible should be able to secure the benefits of employment and make their contribution. Nevertheless, the eligibility changes jar with earlier decisions to raise employers’ national insurance contributions that are slowing up hiring and drying up the very job opportunities those previously receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) or incapacity benefit are meant to find. I was speaking to people on their doorsteps last weekend in Gillingham and heard specific examples of the impact cuts to PIPs will make. An ex-nurse was keen to work, but her experience indicated employers unwilling to adjust their expectations, even amid skills shortages. While the increase in the National Living Wage is welcome, especially the higher percentage rise for younger workers, taken together with the increased National Insurance contributions the effect is to apply the handbrake to hiring. There are other ways than employers’ national insurance contributions to finding the revenue for public services. Liberal Democrats suggest increasing taxes on the social media and tech giants, but digital services taxes seem set to go down, not up, to be more Trump-friendly and tariff-avoiding. Elsewhere – and highly relevant to our rural area – the sudden scrapping of the Sustainable Farming Initiative added another layer of uncertainty for farmers. Once again, the government said one thing and did another. Pre-election, Labour was the ‘friend of agriculture’ and stressed the sector’s importance for health and food security. Sadly, the debacle of inheritance tax on family farms and now this additional blow to incomes and more sustainable agriculture gives completely the opposite impression. Overall, I have the sense of pent-up energy in the economic engine: wanting to get on and grow, but the tyres are spinning because of incoherent and self-defeating policy. In these nervous times, the Liberal Democrats in North Dorset stand for stability, compassion, and a commitment to fairness. We believe in a strong economy that works for everyone, a social safety net that protects the most vulnerable, and a government that acts with integrity and intelligence. Gary Jackson North Dorset Liberal Democrats
On a crisp, sunny morning, Shaftesbury’s RotaKids, supported by Shaftesbury Rotary, took to the water for their very first sponsored swim – held at Coombe House. Cheered on by parents and headteachers from both schools, the young swimmers powered through an impressive 350 laps of the 25-metre pool. In total, 25 children took part, raising more than £450 for local charities nominated by the RotaKids. Special mention goes to Abbey Primary School pupil Alex Biro, who raised an outstanding £140 single-handedly. Shaftesbury is fortunate to have two thriving RotaKid Clubs – one at Shaftesbury Primary and the other at Abbey Primary. Open to children aged seven to 12, RotaKids are elected by their peers to make a difference in their communities, while building confidence and leadership skills. The clubs are sponsored by Shaftesbury Rotary and the two often work together on joint events. The Rotary team extend their thanks to Darren Harte and the Coombe House staff – especially lifeguard Adam – for generously giving up their Sunday morning to oversee the event, and to first aider Howard for being on hand throughout. Thanks also went to Brave and Determined (BAD) for providing refreshments from their coffee trailer, raising funds and awareness for their own cause in the process. Coming Rotary dates for the diary include the Family Fun Run in Shaftesbury on 6th April, and the North Dorset Cycle Ride on 18th May.
Grants totalling £149,000 have been awarded to 39 small charities and voluntary groups across Dorset, thanks to the Dorset Community Foundation’s Neighbourhood Fund. The fund supports grassroots projects tackling challenges such as poverty, disability and isolation. With grants of up to £5,000 available, this round of funding will have a wide-reaching impact across the county. At Dorset Lavender Farm Project in Sturminster Newton, £4,800 will fund new pathways between gardens and buildings – improving access for disabled volunteers. ‘That sense of being part of a team, of peaceful, purposeful work – it’s invaluable,’ said project leader Jo O’Connell. Artsreach will use its funding to establish four new daytime hubs in rural areas, aimed at over-65s and those living with dementia. Planned locations include Blandford or Sturminster Newton, Martinstown or Drimpton, Swanage, and Sixpenny Handley or Canford. ‘We want to create regular events that are joyful, inclusive, and a lifeline to those feeling isolated,’ said Development Officer Kerry Bartlett. A £2,500 grant to Bridport Foodbank will help replenish stock after a drop in donations. ‘We’ll be able to buy fresh food and toiletries – the essentials that are harder to come by,’ said treasurer Lisa Pinch. ‘This support will make a real difference.’ Dorchester Men’s Shed has been awarded £3,000 to improve workshop safety, following an air quality inspection last summer. ‘We’re modernising our equipment and installing better dust extraction to create a healthier, safer space,’ explained secretary Andrew Rennison. Bournemouth’s Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs received £5,000 to continue its work in schools. The group’s specially trained dogs work with pupils experiencing anxiety, autism and other challenges. ‘The dogs create a calming presence, helping pupils – and the staff supporting them – thrive,’ said CEO Peter Rufus. Dorset Community Foundation Chief Executive Grant Robson said: ‘All of the groups who have received funding have annual costs of less than £250,000 – many are under £50,000 – so while these grants are relatively small, the funding means they can continue with vital projects that add real value to peoples’ lives and impact them in an incredibly positive way.’
A beacon and lamps of peace will be lit in Sturminster Newton to ‘shine a light’ on the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe. On Saturday 3rd May there will be a 1940s dance at The Exchange: dance to the Big Band soundsof the Moonlight Swing Band to truly bring the 40s party to life. Tickets £15 – dress for the 1940s, there’s a prize for the best costume. On VE Day, Thursday 8th May, there will be a civic service at St Mary’s Church at 8pm. The community will join together in the Railway Gardens from 8.30pm onwards to commemorate 80 years since VE Day and the end of World War Two. An act of remembrance at 9.20pm will be followed by a 1,000 beacons being lit across the country at 9.30pm in a shared moment of celebration, marking the end of many years of darkness. Red Lamps of Peace will also be lit to remember the many animals who served – a tradition started on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. There will be plenty of free tea and coffee – please bring your own mug. For full details please see the posters around town.
Four men have been convicted of illegally hunting a fox with hounds following a detailed investigation by Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team.
The incident took place on Monday 4th December 2023 near Buckhorn Weston, a village within The BV’s North Dorset heartland, during an event held by the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt. It was reported that hounds pursued and killed a fox during the meet.
Pack of hounds (for illustrative purposes only). Image: Shutterstock
Footage and evidence submitted by members of the public who had been monitoring the hunt were central to the police investigation. Dorset Police confirmed that expert review was undertaken to help establish that an offence under the Hunting Act 2004 had taken place.
Four Somerset men – Conall McGrath, 23, and George Pierce, 33, both of Charlton Horethorne, as well as Andrew Osborne, 60, and Freddie Osborne, 34, of Templecombe – were subsequently tried at Poole Magistrates’ Court. All four were found guilty of breaching section one of the Hunting Act 2004.
McGrath and Pierce were ordered to pay £1,140 each in fines and costs. The Osbornes were each fined £930.
Detective Constable Steve Allen of the Rural Crime Team commented: “Dorset Police is committed to investigating any alleged breach of the Hunting Act 2004 and ensuring anyone breaching the legislation is held to account. This case saw us work with experts and the CPS to compile evidence and build a compelling case.”
The law prohibiting the hunting of wild mammals with dogs came into force in 2005 under the Hunting Act 2004. While certain exemptions apply, police noted that this incident did not fall within those exceptions.
As our readers may recall, The BV reported on this case in depth earlier this year (Dorset’s Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt suspended, The BVFeb 24), as part of our continuing coverage of rural affairs and the complex debates around countryside law, land use and tradition. Speaking at the time, North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs told The BV: ‘We had really hoped that the presence of the drone would have stopped the hunt killing the fox. Unfortunately, it seemed they were making so much noise and were so engrossed in chasing the fox that they didn’t notice it until it was too late. It’s a sickening insight into what goes on and very upsetting for us all that we couldn’t save this fox.’
Hunts are lawfully allowed to go out on what are known as trail hunts. This is the practice of using a pack of hounds to follow a scent of animal urine, typically fox, that is laid in advance – the trail. If hounds accidentally deviate from the trail that has been laid for them and start following the scent of a live quarry, it is the responsibility of the huntsman and hunt staff to stop the hounds immediately.
No one from the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt was available for comment at the time. However, a spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance told The BV:‘There have been just a handful of hunts prosecuted since the Hunting Act came into force almost 19 years ago. It is estimated that around 12,000 days of lawful hunting activities take place across the country each season … demonstrating that the majority of hunting days are conducted within the law.’
Dorset Police are encouraging members of the public to report any further concerns relating to illegal hunting activities.
Rachel Hosford (Cook) of Durweston. Passed away at Forest Holme Hospice, Poole, after a short illness, aged 82. Much loved wife of Jonny, and greatly missed by Martha and Ben, and grandchildren Hector, Eliana, William and Thomas
Widespread dissatisfaction with the state of British politics has doubtlessly contributed to the relative success of Reform. Instead of addressing that situation however, both Labour and the Tories have tried to win back voters by adopting policies that lean towards Reform ideology. Their biggest mistake has been to row back on policies aimed at addressing global warming, thereby failing with government’s most important duty, which is surely to protect the lives and wellbeing of citizens. Kemi Badenoch has declared that achieving Net Zero by 2050 is impossible without a significant drop in our living standards and bankrupting us. Yet the CEO of the Confederation of Business Industry has stated that last year the Net Zero economy grew by 10 per cent and added £83bn to our national income. What we cannot afford is to sideline action on global warming. The consequences of carrying on with fossil fuel business-as-usual would be devastating. We are already seeing increasingly severe weather patterns develop, with prolonged periods of flooding and drought for example, impacting the ability of farmers to produce our food. Longer term consequences include disasters like rising sea levels as ice caps melt. Arctic air temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and so the massive Greenland icesheet, for example, is particularly vulnerable to global warming. It is kilometres thick, covers 80 per cent of the island … and has been steadily melting for the past 27 years as global temperatures rise. It contains enough water to eventually raise global sea levels by seven metres. In the UK that would wipe out whole farming areas, including Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Talk about a drop in living standards … While our contribution to climate change is much smaller than that of, say, China, we are responsible for a share of China’s emissions because so many of the things we buy are manufactured there. China has identified the clean energy opportunities and installed more renewable energy generation last year than the rest of the world combined – eight times more than America and five times more than Europe. Renewable energy creates jobs, cleans polluted air, and lowers energy bills. That’s what we have to gain – and can’t afford to lose. Ken Huggins North Dorset Green Party
Not many people can say they knew their calling at six years old – fewer still can say they stuck to it. But Abby Bunyard isn’t most people. ‘I was lucky that when I was younger, my sister used to ride,’ she says. ‘She’s four years older, so I was always dragged along, and was always around ponies. The farrier at the yard asked me what I was going to be when I grew up, and I told him I was going to be a farrier. He said, “Come find me when you’re big enough.” So I did.’ Dorset-born and raised, Abby grew up in Stalbridge while her father, a Navy man, ‘floated around the world’, as she says. ‘Mum and Dad had an agreement: it was his job, and the kids would stay rooted. Every time Dad came home, it was like Christmas. Sometimes we got four a year! We were lucky.’ Those early years around ponies lit the fuse. By the time she left her all-girls school – which viewed her ambitions with what we might politely call raised eyebrows – she was already fixed on her goal. ‘It wasn’t a career they really understood,’ she says. ‘But I’m fairly bloody-minded, and people telling me I couldn’t do it just drove me towards it, really. It was my passion. It was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to make a difference in an animal’s life – the biomechanics, the structure … I could see all the things that we humans were asking of these animals and I thought we needed to give back. The more comfortable we can make them, and the more efficient in their work we could make them, the better they would be and the happier they’d be.’
Abby Bunyard at work in a Dorset stable yard
The UK is the only country where farriers must legally be qualified and registered, so she entered the UK’s formal apprenticeship system. At the time, the Hereford School of Farriery was the only college offering the training. Abby joined a class of 34 of whom only two were women – and the other only lasted a year. ‘She was Spanish: away from home in a male-dominated industry, doing a hard physical job in a different language … it was tough.’ Abby, however, didn’t flinch. ‘I definitely had to work twice as hard. But I had an exceptional boss – so many people told him taking me on was a terrible mistake, but the more people told him that, the more determined he was!’ Even so, it took time to find her place. ‘It took a week before anyone even spoke to us at college. I don’t think they knew what I was. Was I a threat? A joke? A random? No idea. But I went into it to become a farrier. That’s all that mattered.’ The day she walked on stage to receive her qualification from the Worshipful Company of Farriers, she received a standing ovation. ‘I cracked them,’ she says. In 2025, things are different: ‘It’s 100 times better now.’ But Abby hasn’t once in her 30-year career considered quitting. ‘No. I genuinely haven’t done a day’s work in my life. I get up and do my hobby. I’m a farrier. That’s it. It’s a way of life. I adore it.’
Hot shoeing: after the foot has been trimmed and rasped and is ready for the new shoe, a farrier will heat the shoe in the forge and place it briefly on the foot to sear the path where it will ultimately lie
The day job There’s no such thing, Abby says, as a normal farrier’s day: ‘I have absolutely no idea where we start and where we end! I train apprentices – someone gave me a chance, so I owe it forward. We get in the truck at 7.15am, and we laugh all day. We tag team so no one takes all the strain, and each horse we shoe, we discuss. Nothing is ever shod the same – it’s individual to the animal’s needs at that point in time. What needs to be done today might not be what’s needed in four weeks’ time. ‘The phone starts going Sunday night – “Any chance?” or “I forgot to book in…” or “can you just …” Monday morning the trucks are stocked and you have your list. But though you’ve got the horses’ names, you don’t know what’s changed in the last four to six weeks. Has it done more work? Less? If it has done less work than normal, why? Is the client OK? It’s not just about the horse. While you’re shoeing the horse, if the shoe pattern or wear has changed, you assess why is that changed? What has changed? Why has it changed? Was it changed conformationally? Is it uncomfortable due to biomechanical disruption? Every horse is unique, and each one demands thoughtful, individualised attention‘ But it’s never just about the horse. You walk onto a yard and say, “Hi, how are you?” and that starts the whole job. Someone tells you Aunt Hilda’s died or the kids are sick or work’s gone crazy, and you suddenly know why the horse hasn’t been ridden as much or why its wear pattern is different. You have to be fluid. You’re a farrier, but also a counsellor, a mind reader, a biomechanics geek. It’s holistic. It’s art.’
Abby has a complete mobile forge in her trucks
And then there was Edna ‘The best thing about this job is the difference I make,’ she says. ‘Big or small. When you walk a horse up and see it landing laterally – putting more medial strain on, because it will have a secondary medial landing – but if you then shoe that horse and walk it up and it lands flat, the entire limb or biomechanics of that animal are now in tune. I’ve made a massive difference … What’s more important? The laminitic pony that’s keeping a child with cancer alive because they can see their pony, and it’s just got to be okay? … or the not-100-per-cent-conformationally-sound animal that’s got to stay sound through a five star event?
All of those things matter. You’re not just treating the animal. You’re helping the person attached to it stay afloat.’ Sometimes it’s about the rider. Sometimes, it’s about the horse … and sometimes, it’s both. ‘There’s an older lady I visit, I do trims on her elderly pony. She always comes out with a teapot on a silver tray, proper biscuits … you can’t miss that trim. I cannot miss that trim. Because she gets up every day for that pony.’ One of Abby’s most memorable cases was Edna the injured pony: ‘Edna was a massive achievement. She got her rug caught in the fillet strings, and it severed through part of a deep digital flexor tendon. The owner just didn’t have a pile of spare money to spend on it, so my apprentice and I fabricated a pattern bar shoe, and the clients kept her in the box for six months. There really wasn’t much hope for her … but now, she’s out doing Pony Club stuff! We didn’t do it all by the book, but the owners listened to us, and it was such a great result.’
NO smoking …
Be the best me Today, Abby is not only a highly respected working farrier, but president of the British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association – the first woman ever to hold the title. ‘I didn’t go in to become president,’ she says. ‘I just realised one day I was sitting around grumbling about things I didn’t understand. So I decided to get involved. The more I learned, the more I realised what the Association could do. Soon I was treasurer, and the Association needed help getting back on its feet. As treasurer, with a group of 12 other people, I made a hell of a difference. It was fantastic. And then I was made vice president … and when they put the president’s chain on at the AGM, the weight of that … I just thought, “Oh my God. What, what have I done?” I could feel the weight of its history.’ The president’s chain is 125 years old, and has the name of the founder of the BFBA engraved on it, as well as every president since. One year in and Abby is already making an impact: she is determined that the Association is the backbone and strength of leading the industry, and is pushing for greater inclusivity, accessibility and openness. Abby has never identified herself as a ‘woman in a man’s world’ And she resists being labelled a ‘female farrier’. ‘That pisses me off,’ she says. ‘I’m not a female farrier. ‘At no point – aged six, 14, 21, 32 – have I thought I was a female farrier. I’m a farrier. I don’t want to be the best female anything. I want to be the best me. That’s what matters.’ Being a farrier is so much more than shoes on horses. It’s also anatomy, diagnostics, mental health … and for Abby it’s long-haul travel too. The British Association is the crème de la crème of the farriery world and she has lectured on and shod horses all over the globe – Belgium, Geneva, Australia, New Zealand and the US. She is currently working toward the highest professional qualification in her field: the Worshipful Company of Farriers Fellowship. There are only 52 fellows in the world. Fewer than a dozen are women, and none, until now, from Dorset. ‘It’s not a doctorate, but it’s the pinnacle in our profession. I’ve done the practical, I’ve just got the thesis to finish. It’s a whole new learning curve – writing isn’t my comfort zone – but I strive. I strive. I can’t see how I can train apprentices without continuing to learn myself. Otherwise you remain stagnant. And that is not good for animal welfare.’
Abby on becoming president of the British Farrier and Blacksmith Association: ‘I could feel the weight of the 125-year-old chain’s history.’
Eyes wide open And she’s not done yet. Abby is also the driving force behind Focus. A decade ago, it was an international farriery competition with three gazebos and a burger van. Held at Stoneleigh, home of the BFBA, for 42 years, Abby says every farrier in the world wants to compete there: ‘It’s the farriers’ mothership. And now we have 18 international teams of farriers, the best in the world, competing to be the international winner. Alongside that, it’s now the biggest international educational trade fair in the world. We have about 70 trade stands, a lecture theatre, a demo area, a members’ area … We had 1,800 people through the door last year – bear in mind, there’s only 2,500 farriers in the whole of the UK. I stopped in the doorway, just for a second, and looked around, soaking it up. The noise, the energy – it was bloody epic. That was our team … We built that.’ So what advice would Abby give someone considering farriery? ‘Eyes wide open. It’s hard graft. But it’s rewarding beyond words. You learn every day. The skills are vast – the science, the communication, the precision. And the life it gives you is incredible. You’re not stuck in an office. You’re outside, doing something real. And yes – you can make a good living. The United Kingdom’s farriery qualification will allow you to shoe all over the world. But it’s not a nine-to-five. It’s a total way of life.’ Abby’s already thinking about the next client, the next horse, the next puzzle to solve. For her, it’s not about being the first, or the best, or the most awarded. It’s about doing the job – and doing it properly.
