The staff and 66 residents of Maiden Castle House, a not-for-profit care home in Dorchester, are proudly celebrating a significant milestone – Alison, one of the home’s housekeepers, has reached an impressive 35 years of service. She’s become not only an essential member of the team but also a beloved part of the Maiden Castle House community. Alison’s journey with Care South began in its early days when it was still part of social services. She has been a key witness to the home’s growth and transformation, including its move from Weymouth to Dorchester in 2007. Remarkably, Alison still works the same shift pattern she began 35 years ago! Renowned for her infectious smile, Alison brings a daily dose of cheer to everyone at the home. Her cleaning trolley, often accompanied by music, isn’t just a tool for housekeeping; it’s a beacon of positivity on wheels, spreading comfort and happiness to everyone around the home. Alison said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be celebrating 35 years with Care South. It’s been an amazing journey – the support from my colleagues and the wonderful atmosphere at Maiden Castle House have made every day a joy.’ Ash Smith, home manager at Maiden Castle House, said: ‘Alison’s dedication and positive spirit have been a cornerstone of Maiden Castle House for more than three decades. We are proud to have her as part of the team and look forward to many more years of working together.’
This year’s supermarket Brussels sprouts might be on the small side – but the homegrown ones are doing just fine, says Barry Cuff
Barry Cuff’s Sturminster Newton allotment getting its annual feed with 20 wheelbarrow-loads of compost
A report on Radio 4’s Farming Today programme this month warned that British-grown Brussels sprouts would be smaller this year. This is due to the majority of the plants in the muddy fields leaning at an angle due to the very wet and windy weather experienced over the last few weeks – resulting in the lower larger buttons being splattered with soil – and unusable. This year, growers will have to harvest the smaller sprouts further up the stalk to compensate. Having a large allotment we’re able to devote a large area to brassicas, including Brussels sprouts. For us, the brassica plot is looking exceptionally well with some very tall plants, all of which were tied to stakes in the early autumn to avoid wind damage. The whole area is also netted against pigeons! We grow the complete range of brassicas with the exception of kale: Broccoli – we’ve grown two varieties this year. Rudolph for December to February, and Cardinal ready from March onwards. Brussels sprouts – we have grown the variety Brendan for a few years now and we picked our first buttons recently. The plants will continue cropping until the end of February, and we’ll have a good supply for Christmas! Calabrese – we are still cutting small side heads from Ironman, a top-selling variety that has been given the RHS award of garden merit. Cauliflower – This year we have grown four varieties of cauli: Cheesy – all cut in September and October. Snow Prince – we cut the last two heads of these in mid-November. Cendis – a wonderful variety producing large, pure white heads. These will be ready in December and January. Medallion – still growing, will be ready to cut from February onwards. Red cabbage – we grow Red Drumhead which produces tight heads with crisp hearts for stir fries and salads. They have been harvested from mid August and we are down to the last plant. Romanesco – Natalino plants should be ready to harvest in December. Savoy cabbage – Vertus is our favourite, and we planted on two different dates. One plant remains of the first sowing and more are coming on from the second. These will be ready in mid December.
Elsewhere on the plot … During November we added 20 wheelbarrow-loads of homemade compost to one of our plots – the remaining plots will receive farmyard manure. The delivery will be stacked in heaps, ready for spreading as areas become available after cropping throughout the winter. Our Witloof chicory was lifted on the first of the month, topped and tailed and put in a large container of moist compost in the dark. We hope to cut chicons by the beginning of December. Carrots, parsnips, leeks, celeriac, celery, radishes and autumn salad leaves are all still being harvested when required From our stores and freezer we have also been eating our own winter squash, potatoes, onions, peas, sweetcorn and broad beans. As I write we have only experienced two slight frosts, but I will be keeping a close eye on the forecast over the coming weeks; if frost is predicted then the salad leaves will be protected with fleece.
David Frank Rose formerly of Sturminster Newton passed away at age 75 on Monday 27 November in Paignton, Devon. He will be greatly missed by brother Les, family and friends. Private cremation at David’s request. Donations to the Donkey Sanctuary.
The tiny Clouds Hill Cottage near Bovington is in the care of the National Trust and preserved as a memorial to T.E. Lawrence. It has been essentially ‘frozen in time’ in the mid-1930s. Just like the BBC series A House Through Time, in this talk for the Dorset Archives Trust Martin Gething – a volunteer guide at Clouds Hill Cottage – will build up a picture of the families who all called Clouds Hill home over a period of more than a century. The story of the cottage draws extensively on the archives at the Dorset History Centre, in particular the Estate Papers of the Framptons of Moreton together with other historical sources. Come 14th December at 6.45pm for a 7pm start and enjoy some nibbles and a glass of wine or a soft drink, tickets £12.
Q: ‘I like shopping online and I’m always on the lookout for a bargain, especially with Christmas coming up, but I’m worried about scammers. How can I avoid getting caught out? ’
A: While scams can be tricky to recognise, there are steps you can take to stop yourself falling foul to an unscrupulous scammer. Remember, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is. If you’re buying from a site you haven’t used before, do some research before hitting buy: firstly find the company’s return and refund policies so you know your rights if something goes wrong. You should also look up the company’s address (normally found in the website’s ‘contact us’ section) which should include a street name, not just a PO box. Also take some time to see what other people have said about the company. Look at different review websites – don’t just rely on reviews the company has put on its own website. Scammers will often ask you to pay in unusual ways, or put you under pressure to buy, so do be wary of people contacting you out of the blue offering an item for a quick sale or with a special deal. If you do fall victim to a scam, don’t feel ashamed. Scammers are clever and they regularly adapt their methods, making them harder to spot. And do report it, as this alerts authorities to scammers’ techniques and prevents others from being taken advantage of. You can report a scam to Citizens Advice or to Action Fraud. If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours, contact the police via the non-emergency number 101 – but if you feel unsafe use 999. You should also contact your bank to let them know you’ve transferred money.
Sturminster Newton Freemasons (Blackmore Vale Lodge No. 3625) have raised £1,372 for local charity Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust. The Master donated funds raised at his 2022 Christmas function to the charity, which he believes is such a worthy cause. The Provincial Charity Steward was made aware of the charity and asked for a donation from the Dorset Masonic Care who donated a further £1,000. The Masonic Care Foundation then used their matched funding scheme to add a further £1,000, making a grand total of £3,372 for the charity. Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust is based in Dorset, and was founded by Andrew Drake and his family following Andrew’s bowel cancer diagnosis at the age of 24. The Trust works to create awareness of bowel cancer in young people aged 18 to 30 in Dorset and across the UK. It supports bowel cancer patients and their families through the provision of specialist equipment and financial aid, and fund specialist nurses in Dorset County Hospital, specifically in the Colorectal Department. They also provide financial support for equipment and the new cancer unit at the hospital.
Working for World Wide Sires is so much more than just a job – we provide industry leading genetics and services to ensure continued success for our customers. We supply profitable genetics and superior customer service, with a strong commitment to supporting our farmers in genetic success.
The quality of World Wide Sires’ product is complimented by world-class service, with a team of professionals that is dedicated to improving breeding programs with a range of services, including Cow Manager, the World-Wide Mating Service (WMS) and a state-of-the-art Global Training Centre.
At the heart of all that WWS has to offer the UK, there is a hard-working team of people that are driven and dedicated to their work. We are dedicated to offering a high-quality product with proven results.
FARMER OWNED. FARMER FOCUSED. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
Most of us stock up a little too much at Christmas – and if there’s one thing I hate it’s waste. So keep these recipes handy, and in those hazy post-Christmas days when the fridge is still groaning and you need to use up the odds and ends but can’t be bothered to actually cook, I’ll suddenly be your new best friend. Heather x
PS – you can see all of my previous BV Christmas baking and side dish recipes here, including my foolproof Christmas Cake recipe (which reliably gives that delicious deep Christmassy flavour whether you make it two months or just two days before Christmas). There are also make-ahead Christmas Day side dishes, my homemade mincemeat, the easiest sausage rolls to impress and the super-Christmassy star-topped jammy biscuits.
This is a perfect Boxing Day treat. The sandwich takes some of the key components of the Christmas dinner and adds a little bit of extra Christmas decadence – brie! I’ve given rough guidelines on the amount of ingredients here, but be led by what you have left over, what flavours you love most … and just measure with your heart!
Ingredients
Thick cut granary bread
2tbsp butter
Slices of turkey
2tbsp cranberry sauce
Stuffing
Slow cooked red cabbage*
Brie
Heather Brown is a special officer for the Guild of Food Writers, and has worked in the food industry for 20 years. She is a food writer and photographer, offering one-to-one help to local businesses for content and websites.
Method
I have used a toasted sandwich maker/press but you can also make this sandwich in a frying pan.
Butter your bread evenly on both sides of the bread.
Layer the sandwich: turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, brie, red cabbage and then the bread. Trust me on the order – this combination ensures that the ingredients will not move around between layers
Place in the sandwich press, or on a hot dry frying pan. Cook until the outside is lovely and crispy and the brie has melted in the middle. If using a pan, cook on one side until the bottom has started to become crispy and then gently turn over. Press down with a spatula to make sure the heat reaches the centre.
Use a long, sharp knife to cut in half.
Play with your fillings according to what you have – I also enjoy a simpler version with just turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing. This sandwich always works really well with some coleslaw on the side!
This is a wonderfully quick and easy way to use up some of the inevitable left-over turkey. For an easy life I use ready made and rolled puff pastry – also, although I have used ham stock, you can use chicken or vegetable stock too. The biggest issue with this delicious pie is whether there will actually be any pigs in blankets left over after Christmas Day!
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tbs butter
1 large leek, sliced thinly
350g left-over turkey
12 pigs in blankets
3 level tbs plain flour
Black pepper
500ml stock
Packet of ready-rolled puff pastry
Egg for egg washing
Method
Preheat the oven to gas 5/180º fan.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter with a little oil (to stop the butter from burning). Add the leek to the melted butter and cook on a medium heat until the leeks begin to soften.
Add in the turkey by roughly breaking/shredding it into the pan.
Cut the pigs in blankets into pieces and add them to the mixture too. Make sure the meats are heated through thoroughly.
Sprinkle the flour over the pan and season with black pepper. Then give the mixture a really good stir so that the flour coats the mixture really well and begins to cook.
Pour in the stock and gently stir until it has all mixed together thoroughly. Bring this all back to a boil, and keep gently stirring as the mixture thickens. If you have some odd left-over pot ends of cream you can also add some at this point if you wish.
Once the mixture has thickened, take the pan off the heat and pour the mixture into an ovenproof pie dish.
Take the pastry out of the packet and lay it over the top of the pie dish. Brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg, and stab some small holes to give the steam somewhere to go.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Of all the festive meat left-overs, the one I always end up with is ham. This recipe makes the ham the star of the dish and if you’ve chosen a honey roast ham or one cooked in cola, then that sweetness will work really nicely here. Risottos are a little demanding to cook because they need constant stirring for 20 minutes, but the creamy savoury deliciousness makes a lovely cosy left-overs supper.
Ingredients (serves 4)
75-100g of arborio/risotto rice per person.
250g of ham (or however much you have left!)
3 tbs butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large glass of white wine
Black pepper
1litre hot stock (I used ham stock, but vegetable is fine)
100g parmesan cheese
A couple of rashers of streaky bacon or some bacon lardons.
Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the onion and soften gently. Add the ham pieces and mix, then add the rice and stir thoroughly, letting the rice soak up any butter.
Pour in the white wine and season with black pepper, mixing well. It should sizzle loudly in the pan as the white wine soaks into the rice.
Once the white wine has been absorbed, begin adding the stock, a ladle or cup at a time. Each time you add stock, give the mixture a really vigorous stir, and then keep stirring gently as it cooks, so that the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom. Keep on adding stock until the rice is cooked (it takes about 20 minutes). If you run out of stock, use boiling water.
To test if the rice is cooked, taste some and see if the texture is soft all the way through.
Once the rice is cooked, grate in the parmesan and stir until the mixture becomes creamy.
Remove from the heat, dot an extra teaspoon of butter on the top and leave to stand for 10 minutes. While you wait, cook the streaky bacon or lardons in a small frying pan until they are crispy, breaking any bacon rashers into pieces.
After 10 minutes, give the risotto a really good stir. You will notice that anything stuck to the bottom of the pan will have loosened and the mixture will come together nicely, ready to serve. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the bowls to finish.
