The Nightingale: Notes on a songbird by Sam Lee (£13) Throughout history, its sweet song has inspired musicians, writers and artists from Germany, France and Italy to Greece, Ukraine and Korea. Conservationist, renowned musician and folk expert Sam Lee tells the story of the nightingale, revealing in beautiful detail the bird’s song, characteristics and migration, as well as the environmental issues that threaten it.
Singing Like Larks by Andrew Millham (£13) Singing Like Larks opens a rare window onto the ancient song traditions of the British Isles, interweaving mesmerising lyrics, folklore and colourful nature writing to uncover the remarkable relationship between birds and traditional folk music. It’s an account of one young nature writer’s journey into the world of folk music, and a joyous celebration of song, the seasons, and our love of birds.
In Search of One Last Song by Patrick Galbraith (£10) In this beautiful and thought-provoking blend of nature and travel writing, Patrick Galbraith sets off across Britain on a journey that may well be his last chance to see some of our disappearing birds. A story about going in search of the people who are trying to save our birds, as well as confronting the enormity of what losing them would really mean.
George : A Magpie Memoir by Frieda Hughes (£17) Frieda Hughes rescued a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm – and embarked on an obsession that would change the course of her life. As the magpie, George, grows from a shrieking scrap of feathers and bones into an intelligent, unruly companion, Frieda finds herself captivated – and apprehensive of what will happen when the time comes to finally set him free.
Real Dorset Join us for an illustrated talk with author Jon Woolcott
Listen to Jon and his personal, detailed and idiosyncratic look at Dorset, at the subversion, rebellion, revolt, wealth, poverty and ghosts which lie behind the tourist-friendly façade
22nd June, 6.30 for 7pm Venue: Winstone’s, Sherborne Tickets £2 (including a complimentary glass of wine!)
Our resident flower farmer Charlotte Tombs loves tulips. A lot. And she has something she needs to get off her chest …
Tulip La Belle Epoque All images: Charlotte Tombs
Supermarket tulips are cheaper than artisan tulips. It’s a fact, and I’m not arguing with it. But … I’m going to be straight with you. The supermarket ones are hydroponically grown – they haven’t been near a speck of soil. They are mass produced and then wrapped in single use plastic. Some of these tulips are fed with growth inhibitors (that’s why they don’t open up in the vase and just sort of dry out as they die). Artisan tulips, on the other hand, will open up to their natural, glorious conclusion.
Artisan tulips vs the supermarket version
I spend a lot of time, effort and money choosing my tulips for colour, shape and perfume … when has a supermarket tulip ever smelled amazing? Take a look at the image, right. On the left are some of my pale pink artisan tulips that have been planted and cared for in the ground. Look at that stem length and the size of the head compared to the red supermarket tulips next to them!
The two-foot tall Tulip Big Love
In the full page image opposite are La Belle Epoque, an absolutely beautiful double tulip, and one of my own favourites. Do note that tulips continue to grow in the vase and can change direction from where you carefully placed them! You can also see that they are loose and opening up – you just don’t see this from the supermarket ones. The burstingly pink tulips below left are Big Love. They grow to nearly two foot tall with a head the size of your fist in that most amazing lipstick pink. They are another of my personal favourites. Other varieties to look out for are Brownie, Silk Road and Amazing Parrot, which goes from pink to orange. Tulip Negrita is a great perennial tulip – it really does come back year after year. Last but not least is Foxy Foxtrot – almost worth buying for the name alone. It’s a gorgeous double yellow tulip that turns pink with darker yellow flashes.
The London Marriott Grosvenor Square was the place to be last night for the prestigious 2023 Newspaper and Magazine Awards. The glitzy evening was presented by Niall Paterson of SKY News, and 19 hotly anticipated categories were awarded winners.
As a tiny team, just to be shortlisted for Regional Publication Of The Year, and to be considered among the top three regional titles in the country, was an honour. On the night, to receive a Highly Commended was beyond anything we expected. Only a handful of the 19 categories awarded a Highly Commended accolade.
The BV impressed the panel of 25 industry expert judges, who awarded the distinction, commenting that we exceeded exceptionally high and challenging targets. The judges also commended The BV for establishing a genuine connection with our audience.
We were delighted to be there, it was a great night, and we’re incredibly proud to see how far we’ve come.
Love Local, Trust Local founder Barbara Cossins is passionate about the benefits and opportunities from Open Farm Sunday
I would like to start by congratulating Laura and Courtenay on being shotlisted for a major national award! It’s so rewarding to get recognition for all your hard work, and it’s very well deserved. The BV started at exactly the same time the Love Local Trust Local Awards were being launched. We both started out on our journeys together, back when nothing was happening in the world (apart from the whole global pandemic, obviously). Three years on and it is great to see both of us still working hard to champion and deliver what we set out to achieve in the most difficult and challenging of times.
Back to our roots The Love Local Trust Local food label was created in 2018 after an Open Farm Sunday, during which it was very apparent that people wanted to support British farmers but they simply didn’t know who to trust anymore. This year we will be hosting Open Farm Sunday at Rawston Farm for the first time since then – please put Sunday 11th June on your calendar now! It’s a national event, so if Rawston is a little far you can go to FarmSunday.org and find the nearest open farm to you. Do visit, and meet the Dorset farmers feeding us all. Talk to them, make them feel wanted and supported, and learn more about the British produce on your plate. At rawston we will also be showcasing some of the best Dorset products that entered the 2022 LLTL Awards. They are all winners in our eyes – please come and meet them and support their small, independent businesses. We are also hoping all our award sponsors will be there to talk to local residents and visitors about how they work with the local farmers. Representatives from Damory Vets, the NFU, Blanchard Baileys, Symonds and Sampson, Kingston Maurward College, Saffery Champness, Meggy Moos Dairy, Dike & Sons and Roberts Food Service are just a few of the names that will be supporting us in some way or another for Open Farm Sunday 2023.
Education, education, education As an industry we need to encourage and engage with the general public more about farms, farming and food production locally. This national day gives us the chance to show people where their food is coming from, it helps to educate the young (and old!) that supermarkets do not grow and produce the food they sell, the farmers do. It’s an important difference. I’m always sad to hear in meetings that farmers feel the public don’t care or don’t want to support them. It’s not for a lack of interest – there simply needs to be more education on the truth around the UK food industry. Together we need to make a stand against big brand names and their bullish behaviour towards our farmers. Something has to change, and soon. We need to go back to basics. To grow food on our land, to start cooking from scratch again, to eat seasonal food like our ancestors did, and to stop relying on imports of cheap food that we can’t trust. The more we know and understand about the food we eat, including how it was produced and where it came from, the better for our health and wellbeing too. Let’s keep buying, shopping, eating and supporting local. It’s the least we can do.
The Dorset County Show Annual Tractor Run helped to raise nearly £9000 for two local farming charities.
The Dorset County Show has successfully raised £8,960 to support two local farming charities, with both the Dorset Farming Community Network (FCN) and the Dorset branch of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) receiving £4,480 each. The funds were collected through two events: an annual tractor run and a special charity night at the show. Show Chair Nicki Ralph presented the cheque to Rebecca Hill and Steve Cove, who were thrilled with the outcome. Rebecca, representing Dorset FCN, expressed immense gratitude to the Dorset County Show and explained that the funds would be used to assist farmers and their families throughout the region. FCN is a vital charity that provides one-on-one support for farmers and their families during times of crisis, addressing issues such as suicide threats, depression, illness, family disputes, and financial struggles. Rebecca emphasised the crucial role played by the Dorset County Show in funding FCN’s efforts, stating that their work would be much more challenging without such generosity.
Mental health support Steve Cove, who represented the Dorset branch of RABI, remarked that the substantial sum raised would greatly assist farming families in need. Founded in 1860, RABI offers guidance, financial support, and practical care to farming individuals across generations. Steve cited an increased need for mental health support identified through RABI’s ‘Big Farm Survey’ and highlighted RABI’s efforts to provide training and a confidential helpline to farmers and other businesses. Dorset County Show is scheduled for Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September and anticipates drawing 60,000 visitors with a variety of new and exciting attractions for 2023. The event’s chosen charity for 2023 will be announced soon.
The May BV Podcast begins, as it does every month, with this month’s letter from the editor and all the latest reader’s letters. Next we hear from our local political party representatives, and their timely commentary on the state of the world. Lastly we have an interview with Carole Jones, who gives us a peek behind the scenes of a social supermarket in North Dorset.
Letter from Laura, the editor
Letters to the editor
Populism in politics always over-simplifies issues. Effective and lasting political change requires active listening across divides, says MP Simon Hoare
Mike Chapman of North Dorset LibDems urges us and the government to do more …
Pat Osborne of North Dorset Labour questions whether the coronation of a new monarch should prompt a wider deabte about our British head of state, and the implications for democracy
Ken Huggins of the Green Party says it’s time to wake up and see the flood
Tucked away in a back street of Sturminster Newton is the Vale Pantry. The vibrant little community supermarket currently supports 360 families and opens its doors six days a week to all those who find themselves struggling to manage. Forty willing volunteers work cheerfully, offering not just an affordable full shopping basket but a listening ear, empathy and practical support too. Jenny spoke to Carole Jones to hear about the work that happens there.
We often take our native grasslands for granted, but a wealth of natural resources can be found within their unassuming quietness, says the DWT
Kingcombe Meadows. Image: James Burland for Dorset Wildlife Trust
If you tuned in to the recent David Attenborough BBC series, Wild Isles, you’ll know that it focused on different habitats and the spectacular species they support. The series showcased the UK’s varied habitats in true Attenborough style. Dorset itself offers a vastly diverse array of grassy terrains, stretching right across the county from the cascading calcareous cliffs of the eastern Purbeck coast to the myriad magnificent meadows found at DWT’s own Kingcombe in West Dorset. With more than 700 soil types in the UK, each influenced by different rock formations within the earth, there is no wonder we have such a variety of grassland habitats. Each becomes a unique vegetative ‘Tetris’ of species, with each plant using particular adaptations to arrive, survive and thrive in its unique environment.
A smorgasbord Being at the base of the food web, a mosaic of plants within grasslands provides a haven for a wealth of life. Insects such as butterflies, moths and bees depend not only on a nectar source when they are adults on the wing, but also the availability of their food plants. Whether species are polyphagous (able to eat a selection of plants) or monophagous (eating only one plant), grassy pastures are the food platters catering for many. Small mammals like the field vole frequent the undergrowth through a network of interconnecting tunnels, hiding from swooping predators above. It was exciting to see the successful reintroduction of white-tailed eagles and large blue butterflies during the grassland habitat episode of Wild Isles, along with their amazing and complex life cycles. It illustrates that we really can restore our ecosystems and reverse the grim fact that many UK species are at risk of extinction. To ensure there is enough habitat, for them and for the rest of nature, it’s critical that we maintain, restore and join up the isolated parts of our fragmented landscape. In times of such climate uncertainty, grassland is an unsung hero of carbon sequestration. Like trees, plants within grasslands consistently photosynthesise in sunlight, turning carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into glucose with energy from the sun. Globally, trees store a lot of their carbon within their biomass – which can unfortunately be released during wildfires. On the other hand, the carbon within grasslands tends to be stored underground, with some estimates indicating that between 15 and 30 per cent of the world’s carbon is stored in this way. It is important to not rule out these modest ecosystems as a tool to tackle climate change. Of course, it is never too late to create space for nature, whether in our own back gardens or volunteering to encourage and enable larger landowners to do the same. Joining, and supporting others to join, movements like #NoMowMay has never been more important.
James Cartwright, Dorset Wildlife Trust assistant warden and Nick Gray, conservation officer.
Sturminster Newton’s Car & Bike Enthusiasts Event is completely FREE for visitors and exhibitors alike, and there’s always a fantastic selection of cars and bikes from across the region, ranging from century-old vintage Ford Model A to modern day supercars, alongside giant Chevy pickups, 60s minis, 70s VW Beetles, 80s Cortinas, Harley-Davidsons, WWII army bikes … and everything in between!
Got a vehicle you love? Want to bring it along and show it off?
The meet is a friendly, welcoming and inclusive event – there are no charges, no requirements on vehicle age, type or classification and no need to register either!
The next event is from 9am to 12pm on the Sturminster Newton Recreation Ground – plenty of space, a smooth surface and toilets available too.
And if you don’t have a car or bike to share, come along and admire everyone else’s – make it a day out for the family! Stur has plenty of places to eat, lovely shops to browse, the beautiful working mill is always worth a visit and the Trailway is great for stretching the legs!
Steve Bell cooks it how he likes to eat – and the regulars keep coming back. Rachael Rowe reports in this month’s look behind the serving counter
All images: Rachael Rowe
There’s a sign on the wall in the Yellow Bicycle Cafe telling customers that there is no WiFi. Instead, people are encouraged to talk to each other. It sums up the positive vibe of one of Blandford Forum’s most popular eateries. Owner Steve Bell tells The BV his story.
What brought you here? We’ve been here for nine years now. Nine years on 1st March! My first catering business was in South Wales in 2007, after 15 years in the fitness industry. I wanted to turn my passion into a business and there was nothing left for me in the fitness world – it wasn’t possible to get promoted any further. I started out with a converted VW camper and I did festivals for three summers. Then I set up a cafe in South Wales, and then I came here to Blandford Forum. My criteria was that it had to be within 30 minutes of home and it had to be somewhere with a regular customer base. In coastal areas, you get a lot of seasonal variation but here there are a lot of regulars, which is easier when managing a business. We see our regulars week in week out. The cafe is open plan and that’s deliberate – it means we can chat to the customers. If someone is on their own, we can talk to them as we’re preparing the food. And with an open plan design there’s no hiding place. You can see what the customers are thinking when they eat the food. I’d hate to be a chef stuck out the back in a kitchen. We’re just too small for someone to sit working on a laptop for two hours, so the deliberate ‘no WiFi’ policy changes the atmosphere. People interact more.
Yellow Bicycle Cafe owner Steve Bell
Why a yellow bicycle? There’s actually no real story to it! I’m a cyclist and I wanted the cafe to have two words so it’s easy to remember.
How many are in the team? I have four people plus myself. Rhe makes all the cakes and has her own business, Rhe Bakes. (I was early, but there were already customers enquiring about cake in the cafe)
Garlic and rosemary bruschetta topped with pan fried Dorset pheasant breast, Wild Dorset Game sausage patties and mushrooms
What flies out of the cafe? It will always be our campfire beans. Our home made baked beans are cooked in a pan with local sausage, and an egg poached on top. It’s covered with local cheddar and served with home made crusty bread. I’d be lynched if that ever came off the menu!
Tell us about your suppliers? One look at the specials menu will tell any customer the food is local. Very local. We get meat from Rawston Farm, game from Dorset Game Larder – that’s on the menu today. And we have locally roasted coffee, ours comes from Poole, Full Circle Coffee. We also have New Forest asparagus, and cheese from Book and Bucket, Ford Farm and Open Air Dairy near Bridport
What are you most proud of? The fact that we’re still here! The cafe changed a lot in the pandemic. Something I have learned with the Yellow Bicycle Cafe is that you should always be moving forward and should always be better than last year. Also the fact that we have so many regular customers after nine years – it says a lot that they still keep coming here. I’m also proud that I’ve won some awards. In 2020 I won the South West Tourism Award for Cafe of the Year. And in 2018, I was National Breakfast Chef of the Year – I’m now on their judging panel. That got us in the Sunday Telegraph. I have had no formal training as a chef. I didn’t even call myself a chef until I won that award – and then I felt I deserved it.
And your biggest challenge? Everything relating to COVID. The permanent changes to hospitality that have come out of it. The main thing has actually been post-pandemic, because the government support stopped, and trying to rebuild the business. I hated the Eat Out to Help Out campaign. We don’t take bookings, so it was hard to say to regulars who never book that they had to.
So what’s next? I just want to keep moving forward, creating new dishes and using lots of local seasonal produce. When I started out with a cafe, one of the best pieces of advice I had was from a friend in the catering business: “You’re not a trained chef so cook what you are passionate about and cook it how you like to eat it.”
Find Yellow Bicycle Cafe on Facebook here and follow them on Instagram here (WARNING: both are guaranteed to make you hungry)
Yellow Bicycle Cafe is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm (opens 9.30am on Saturdays) on Salisbury Street, Blandford
