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
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues
Q: ‘We’re booking a summer holiday to Spain… What can we do to protect ourselves and prepare for the unexpected?’
A: There’s a lot you can do in advance to help your holiday go smoothly, including getting travel insurance and brushing up on your rights if something should go wrong.
Passports The first thing to do when planning a holiday is to check if your passport is in date. Renewals can take several weeks, so don’t leave this until the last minute! You can check the validity of your passport for your country of choice on Gov.uk – and this is especially important if you’re flying to Europe. EU countries no longer accept passports that are more than ten years old – if your passport was issued pre-Brexit then the expiry date might well be more than ten years from the issue date. If it’s older than ten years, you’ll need to get it renewed for EU travel – even if it’s technically still in date.
Compensation Flight delays and cancellations could happen to any of us, so it’s worth knowing what your rights are if this happens. If your flight is delayed long enough, your airline has to give you access to food and drink vouchers, phone calls and emails, and accommodation if you’re delayed overnight. If your flight is cancelled, you have a legal right to a full refund or replacement flight to help you get to your destination. You also have a right to compensation if your airline delays, loses or damages your checked-in luggage. You can find out more about this on the Citizens Advice website here. You might also be entitled to compensation for things beyond your basic flights, like a day trip getting cancelled, or if you paid for a deluxe room but only got a standard one. Although this will depend on whether you booked a package holiday, made ‘linked travel arrangements’ or organised the holiday yourself as an independent traveller, it’s always worth checking.
Insurance Finally, travel insurance will not only cover many of the things already mentioned, like flight delays and lost luggage, but also things like a holiday cancellation and medical emergencies. You should get insurance as soon as you book a holiday to make sure you’re covered from the beginning – but check first to see if you’re covered through an existing insurance policy. Many bank accounts have travel insurance included, for example. With luck, you won’t face any problems while on holiday, but if something does go wrong and you need advice on a consumer problem, you can always check the Citizens Advice website.
Andrew Livingston shares the teenage grief which led him to take on a 150-mile trek in 2011, and is reminded to get outside more
Martin Clunes, far left, saw off the 15-year-olds in 2011. From the left Andrew Livingston, Kiaran Mason, Thomas Shoemark, Tom Jones, Molly Neville and Lucy Wallbridge
After reading January’s BV, I was truly inspired by Claire Allen’s expedition to walk the entire British coastline, raising money for two homeless charities. Reading her story made me reminisce about the time that I pulled on my own walking boots for greater a cause. Ultimately, it’s a tale of friendship, determination and blisters. But does have a sad beginning. In May of 2011, my mother was battling breast cancer. She had to go to Southampton for surgery, and on the journey from Beaminster to visit her, we decided to redecorate the living room (she had been complaining that it was looking tatty for a while), planning a nice surprise for her to come home to. Unfortunately, she never made it home. Her condition continually worsened, and she died in the Weldmar Hospice in Dorchester.
Celebrity send-off The Hospice was fantastic during the last few weeks of mum’s life – they made a difficult time so much easier. In my own small way of thanking them, I decided to get walking: to raise some money so they could continue their great work. Three months later I had managed to convince a few friends to brave a monumental journey with me: we planned a walk from Beaminster in Dorset to Carnon Downs in Cornwall – it was my grandmother’s home, and where we always used to holiday with Mum. Martin Clunes, a long-time supporter of the hospice and a Beaminster neighbour, saw us off on our 150-mile journey through the hills and lanes of the Dorset, Devon and Cornwall countryside. The planning was a little wonky, to be honest – on the first day we walked from Beaminster to Ottery St Mary, about 30 miles. That was a long day! With our OS maps in hand, we completed the walk in seven days, and raised more than £5,000. Along the route, we camped in the gardens and fields of generous farmers who were kind enough to host a bunch of 15-year-olds! At the end of the seven days of walking, I was greeted by my granny with a hug, a cup of tea and some biscuits – it was the perfect way to send off my mum.
Do something less boring … I recount this tale not because I want to inspire you to run a marathon for the Cats Protection or climb Everest for your local village hall restoration fund. I simply want to encourage people to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I cannot tell you how lucky we are to live in this beautiful part of the world. Growing up I was never a big fan of walking – I’d much rather have been either playing sport or sitting inside on computer games than hiking up a stupidly large hill. But when you walk 150 miles in the space of a week, you have a lot of time to think. And I soon started to realise, ‘Wow, where we live is pretty fantastic!’. As an adult now, with kids and work, I don’t have as much time as I would like to spend strolling the outdoors. But now the weather is finally improving, I’m going to set aside a minute to visit our beautiful countryside. On the farm, I always love bumping into people who are out enjoying the countryside, be that for a short walk with the dog and the kids or striding through on a serious day hike. Our farm is hilly and it’s muddy, but all I see are smiling faces on the footpaths. As farmers we ask five simple things – keep your dogs under control, clean up their mess, don’t leave litter, stick to the path and shut the gate behind you! We farmers want everyone to be able to get out and enjoy the land. We simply ask you to respect our place of work.
[ad] There is an air of new season excitement at Thorngrove this month. You can’t keep a good gardener down, no matter how much rain comes their way
We could hardly believe it last week when the spring sunshine was actually making itself known for more than five minutes at a time! Better late than never though, as the saying goes! This time of year tends to see a few more customers through our doors – as the weather warms up, many of us start to take advantage of our garden spaces. When those bursts of inspiration hit we tend to look to fill any gaps with some vibrant interest. The garden centre courtyard is always bursting with colour and life and a whole range of options to fit any size space – it won’t be long before the roses are making themselves known, so do stop by and see what there is to discover here at Thorngrove (don’t forget while you’re there to visit the glasshouse too!).
The garden campus Regular visitors to Thorngrove will know that our garden centre also functions as a campus for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It’s a place for education and work experience, and also an adult social care day service. Students are often completing community projects and fundraising, and in April we were finally able to present Krystina from Gillingham Youth Project Hipp!!Bones a cheque for £200. The money was raised through the Winter Wonderland event we held last December. Hipp!!Bones is a youth club utilised by some of our own students, and they felt very proud too have been able to give something back to the project which is so important in our community. The Gillingham campus continues to develop, and earlier this year we released a little ‘day in the life’ short video about what it’s like to work and study at Thorngrove, with some insight from staff and students – you can watch it below! The garden centre and café act as real-world environments for the students to hone their life and work skills. So the next time you visit Thorngrove, feel free to ask for a prospectus if you, or somebody you know, might benefit from the way we can help young people develop their skills, confidence, and independence. You may have just missed our most recent open day, but we offer guided tours and even taster sessions all year round. We understand that every individual is different, and we tailor timetables to suit specific needs. If you’re looking to take that next step in finding the future for a young person in your family or care, please do reach out. We’d love to chat.
Introducing the Royal Bath & West Show Pre Show Magazine for 2024!
Dive in and find out what you can do, see and explore at this years Royal Bath & West Show! From FREE family entertainment to fabulous live music and celebrity appearances … welcome all to the 159th Royal Bath and West Show! (book your tickets here) Those who have visited previously will see all your favourites – livestock is always top of the list of why people come to the Bath & West, and 2024 will not disappoint!
But there are some exciting changes this year too. The new Bark and West area is where you’ll find Pawsability dog agility, where you and your canine friend can watch a display (and your dog can even have a go!). It’s also the new home for the Great British Dogs marquee, where you can meet some of the rarest British dog breeds – their owners will of course be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
The new Bark & West area is set to be a big hit
As you’d expect, the Main Ring timetable is packed full of exhilarating entertainment all day. This year the big attraction will be Jamie Squibb’s Freestyle Motorcycle Stunt Show: a breathtaking spectacle really worth watching. Maybe you love the Livestock Grand Parade, or are ready for the exciting Pony Club Games. Or perhaps the Vintage Vehicle Parade is more your thing? The Scurry Racing is thrilling, and if you’ve never watched show jumping before, be sure to catch the Grand Prix – a show jumping event featuring the most prize money, the biggest jumps, and the highest level of competition. The courses are technical and complex, with tighter turns, angled jumps, and combinations with unusual distances between them.
Whatever you choose, make the most of the grandstand seating if you need a sit-down!
The Horticultural Village has been extended this year, with a new large garden in the marquee, created by Monkton Elm Garden Centre. There is also The Green Room – an additional marquee for horticulture talks and masterclasses from TV Gardener David Domoney, Head Gardener at Hestercombe Gardens Claire Greenslade, and Happy Smallholding Founder Jess Gough, among others. Yeo Valley and The Newt return with gardens, and there are three other pop up gardens.
Meet TikTok’s own Farmer Will at the show on Saturday 1st June
There’s also the opportunity to watch an international sheep shearing competition! The show will be hosting the Six Nations Blade Shearing Team Championships, which will see two-person teams from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, and France go head-to-head: follow the fast-paced action up close in the Sheep Shearing tent, next to Lakeside Farm.
The Great British Kitchen is back of course, with a jam-packed programme, featuring everyone’s favourite cocktail maker, Andy Clarke, TV presenter and chef Clodagh McKenna and Rosemary Shrager, TV chef and haute cuisine teacher.
If you’re coming for the live music, the Pilton Tent will be very active again – very special guests The Wurzels on stage on Thursday. We also have performances from Bristol Ukulele Club, The Leylines, Barry & The Sidetracks and Military Wives – it’s a full programme with 29 bands in the Pilton Tent and more on the Bandstand.
There is so much to do and see, as well as all the trade stands, and there will be plenty of street food and drink vendors dotted around the showground – you’ll never be far from something delicious!
