Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 2022

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15 September 2022

‘J’adore le Cheddar! Et les flapjacks aussi!’
Madame Maryline Lecampion’s eyes twinkled as she described the food she had tasted at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. She was part of a delegation from the French town of Montebourg, twinned with Sturminster Newton. Today the team were promoting Camembert, Normandy’s best-known cheese – and taking every opportunity to try food from the other stands. ‘We have been coming here for ten years now, and it is superb.’

Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 2022 — image: Pengelly Media

Crowds of people swarmed into the two huge tents lined with stalls. The team from Buckshaw Blewe have been making cheese for five or six years from their sheep’s milk. The blue cheese was delicious and attracted attention. Lyburn Cheese from near Salisbury had an incredibly strong (and delicious) Old Winchester Extra Mature. White Lake Cheese, a Somerset producer, had an excellent range from Driftwood to the interestingly shaped Tor. Some cheese vendors found it hard to keep up with the demand for samples as people made their way around, tasting new cheeses and seeing a few old favourites.

Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival 2022 aerial shot — image: Pengelly Media

Some cheese producers had been busy in lockdown, creating new varieties of cheese. Book and Bucket displayed their entire range, but a new one, Wilde, is seasonal. “It’s a cow’s milk cheese with locally foraged wild garlic from Cranborne Chase.”
Feltham’s Farm from Templecombe had two newish kinds of cheese. La Fresca Margarita was created in lockdown and is a queso fresco, while the newest cheese, Gert Lush, is a creamy cross between a Camembert and a Saint Marcellin. Wherever you looked, there was the inspiration for a cheeseboard, from Bath Soft Cheese to a Smoke N’ Jack from Padstow Cheese. People were buying the cheese and tasting; some returned for a favourite and others were influenced by a sample that hit the spot.

cheese stalls in the grand marquee at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival — image: Pengelly Media

And the smell. We’re not just talking ripe cheeses here, but the warm, heartening smell of a cheese toastie from Westcombe Cheddar luring people to its stall and the scent of freshly picked apples from Elwell Fruit Farm. Annie and Will from Sparkenhoe Farm in Leicestershire brought some of their finest cheeses made from their cows and attracted attention from impressed Dorset buyers. If you buy Leicester cheese from a supermarket, you should taste their Sparkenhoe Red Leicester- there’s no comparison. “It’s one of the best shows we attend,” said Annie.

producers chat room at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival — image: Pengelly Media

You could interact with producers, find out how they make their cheeses and get a few recommendations and inspiration. There were a series of interesting talks by makers too.
But, of course, cheese needs an accompaniment, and the festival had so much choice here as well. There were charcuterie stalls and sellers with savoury biscuits, cider, and gin (so many different varieties of gin on sale and being tasted!).

christine's puddings at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival — image: Pengelly Media

But the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival has so much more than cheese, and showed how integral it is to the community of Sturminster Newton. There were bird boxes galore from Men in Sheds and a fundraising tombola from Vale Pantry. And so many beautiful crafts, from the man patiently weaving a basket to ornate glass decorations and vibrant knitted hats. There were fairground rides for children and entertainment shows. The organising committee seemed to have thought of everything.

family entertainment at Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival — image: Pengelly Media

People gathered and sat on hay bales to watch violin and guitar band Ribble entertaining with uplifting music. Families sat chatting, catching up with friends or sampling one of the many food offerings, from Greek souvlaki to Italian pizza. The sun shone on a beautiful autumnal festival, giving people an opportunity to eat outside and enjoy the atmosphere. They came to find inspiration for regional food and some of the tastiest award-winning cheeses in the Westcountry and beyond. Although this year’s cheese festival coincided with a sad and poignant time for the country, the organisers had decided that the event would continue, and the atmosphere was one of life going on.

Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival | image: Pengelly Media

(Un)pleasant tales of Lydlinch’s hunting country clergyman | Looking Back

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Editorial team

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14 September 2022

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A former Rector of Lydlinch was obsessed with hunting – but his first quarry was an unfortunate old woman, says Roger Guttridge

You won’t find a country clergyman like him today, which is probably just as well, for the Rev William Chafin was far too outrageous for the modern era.
The one-time Rector of Lydlinch was obsessed with hunting and has been called the ‘epitome of the sporting parson of 18th century England’.
He was also a renowned eccentric who always dressed in ‘old boots and greasy leather breeches and refused to change even when dining with the Prince of Wales’.

No excessive tenderness
William’s character owed much to his unusual upbringing.
Born in 1733, he was the 11th and last child of George and Elizabeth Chafin, wealthy owners of Chettle House (now a grade one listed building on Cranborne Chase).
Sadly, only three of William’s ten siblings had survived infancy, a record that their father put down to the excessive tenderness bestowed upon them.
Determined to improve William’s chances, George had the newborn immediately baptised, then removed from his mother to be wet-nursed by the estate shepherd’s wife.
William himself later recalled: ‘I remained in this cottage under the care of the good inhabitants until I was nearly five, without once sleeping in my father’s house.
‘As soon as I could crawl, I was carried by the shepherd to his sheepfold every morning, even in the very depth of winter.’
William was known for his robust constitution, and he put this too down to his upbringing.
He was still riding to hounds at 80 and only suffered a decline in health after being struck by lightning while sitting at a window in 1817.
Even then he survived another year, eventually dying in 1818 aged 85.

Lydlinch’s Old Rectory today Image: Roger Guttridge

From fleas to elephants
Chafin is also famous for his book Anecdotes and History of Cranborne Chase, first published in the year of his death and which reflects his hunting obsession.
According to his contemporary, Sir Archie MacSarcann, William hunted ‘everything from the flea in the blanket to the elephant in the forest’ … ‘But his chief sport was afforded by foxes, hares, rabbits and owls,’ said Sir Archie.
Chafin’s biggest fan was the novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott, who sent some handwritten notes about him to Lord Montagu, which survive in a copy of Anecdotes in the library at Beaulieu.
Sir Walter reveals that William’s ‘first commencement as a sportsman [was] rather inauspicious – he shot an old woman [and then] left his game where it dropped without staying to bag it.’

When a servant at Chettle House announced that a woman called Goody had been shot dead, ‘there was a confession in the boy’s looks which made his father exclaim: “There sits the rascal that killed her.”’
What the coroner’s inquest decided is unknown but Sir Walter reports that the boy’s father confined him to a garret for a month on a diet of bread and water.
The young William whiled away his time by trapping hungry sparrows using bits of his bread as bait.
In a separate letter to Lord Montagu, Sir Walter describes how the young Chafin also ‘shot an old cat’, for which offence he served three months in the garret on bread and water, this time amusing himself by hunting rats.

Deer hunters on Cranborne Chase in the 18th century

Owl hunting
It’s not clear when Chafin became Rector of Lydlinch but he was certainly in post by 1769 and probably continued until 1776, when he inherited the Chettle estate following the death of his brother, another George.
Diarist Stephen Terry wrote that the entire Chettle household got sucked into Chafin’s hunting, apart from the butler, who ‘superintended the garden’.
Terry added: ‘The old cook supervised the cuisine in the kennel as well as in the kitchen, and got the footman up in good time to do his part in the house before he was booted and spurred for the chase,’ For rabbit-hunting, Chafin maintained a pack of miniature beagles, each a mere 12 to 14 inches high, which he carried in panniers on his horse.
For owl-hunting, his parishioners were the first pack, flushing out a distressed bird on a sunny day and pursuing it until it sought refuge in a bush, at which point the beagles would be released.
Chafin’s inheritance included the manors of Lydlinch, Folke and North Eggardon.
Tradition has it that he sold Eggardon Hill near Bridport to his friend Isaac Gulliver, Dorset’s leading smuggler, who planted fast-growing trees on the summit as a marker for contraband ships approaching the coast.

Blandford teens smash all records

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Editorial team

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14 September 2022

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L-R: Ellen (Head Girl), Grace, Peter, Lauren, Hollie

The Blandford School is delighted to report record-breaking results for year 13 students, who have smashed all previous records.As well as achieving the highest ever number of A* – A grades and A*- B grades, ALL students passed all their examinations.
With high grades in abundance across the year group, the following are the students whose results particularly stand out:

Lauren Mooney (AADist) Mollie Joyce (DistDistDist)
Jay Spackman (DistDistDist) Zoe Risborough (AAA) Joshua Sterck (AAA) Ethan Cain (AAA)
James Corrie (AAA) Oliver Long (AAA)
Toby Knight (AAA)
Ellen Fale (AA Dist) Finan Barker (AAB)
Joe Opalka (AAB) Seb Flavell (AAB)
Lewis Revell (A*AB)
Joseph Catling (AAB)
Daniel Hill (AAB)
Daniel Scott (AAB)

Every year students embark on an exceptionally wide variety of destinations, and this year is no exception. Both Zoe Risborough and Joseph Catling will be studying Veterinary Science (a highly competitive field), Zoe at Bristol and Joseph is heading to Keele. Cambridge is the destination for Ethan Cain who will be reading Philosophy at Magdalene College – congratulations to Ethan for securing a place at Oxbridge.
Luke Morgan will be heading north to study Archaeology at Durham.
Our former Head Boy, Jamie Hall, will be taking up a course at the prestigious Guildford School of Acting, considered a world-class drama school. In a similar vein, Molly Carter has an offer to study Musical Theatre at the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts, and Lauren Mooney will be pursuing her dream to study acting at the Oxford School of Drama.
In contrast, Tom Fuller has been accepted to study Environmental Geoscience at the University of Exeter; a great example of a cutting-edge course at a Russell Group University.
Toby Knight leaves us to commence a degree apprenticeship with UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company. There is also genuine pride that Paige Bryant has the choice of either safeguarding the education of the next generation by commencing a degree in Primary and Early Years education at Sussex or pursuing a degree apprenticeship in the police force.

GCSEs
Sally Wilson also congratulated the Year 11s and their GCSE results: ‘This is the first set of national examination results for three years, so we are super proud of Year 11, who have performed exceptionally well; we also believe their results will look strong in comparison with national averages. The students’ commitment, focus and resilience dealing with the demands of COVID, with some challenging individual circumstances plus remote learning and periods of isolation, as well as the new rigour of public examination courses, deserves a huge amount of praise. I lead a strong staff team and they are thrilled at these outcomes, extending their congratulations to the whole year group.
‘And we send a very special well done to the Class of 2022 highfliers who are listed below. We are so pleased for them. But every single one of our students has their own personal and special achievements. We look forward to welcoming most of them back to our sixth form in September, and wish those leaving us all the very best as they head towards college courses and apprenticeships.’

TBS Highfliers:
Elowen Harley (seven Grade 9s, two Grade 8s)
Toby Bemand (seven Grade 9s, one Grade 8, one Grade 7)
Allegra James (seven Grade 9s, one Grade 8, one Grade 7)
Harry Knightbridge (six Grade 9s, three Grade 8s)
Evie Biggs (six Grade 9s, two Grade 7s, one Grade 6)
Charlie Jenkinson (five Grade 9s, three Grade 8s, one Grade 6)
Jaidee Payne (four Grade 9s, three Grade 8s, two Grade 7s)
Prajwalshwar Yakha (four Grade 9s, one Grade 8, two Grade 7s)
Jack Sully (three Grade 9s, two Grade 8s, three Grade 7s, one Grade 6)
Tahiya Payne (two Grade 9s, six Grade 8s, one Grade 7)
Thomas Sullivan (two Grade 9s, five Grade 8s, two Grade 7s)
Laila Hall (two Grade 9s, three Grade 8s, three Grade 7s, one Grade 6)
Joseph Powney (two Grade 9s, three Grade 8s, three Grade 7s, one Grade 6)
Alexander Catling (two Grade 9s, two Grade 8s, two Grade 7s, two Grade 5s)
John Cairns (two Grade 9s, one Grade 8, one Grade 7, two Grade 6, one Grade 5)
Archie Sterck (two Grade 9s, two Grade 7s, two Grade 6s, two Grade 5s, one Grade 4)

Finance Assistant | Sarum West PCN

By

Laura

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13 September 2022

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Finance Assistant

7.5 hours/week (0.2WTE) £15/hour gross Office base at The Nadder Centre, Tisbury

We are looking for a well-organised person with some financial experience and very good attention to detail to support our PCN Manager in administering the PCN’s funds. The role is part-time, we expect one day/week, to be worked flexibly by mutual agreement. It would be possible for some of the work to be done remotely.

The role will include:

Paying invoices and reimbursing other expenditure as authorised by the PCN Manager and/or Clinical Director
Maintaining records of all receipts, expenditure, and distributions to Practices, suitable for submission to PCN accountants at year end
Liaising effectively and in a timely way with the PCN lead finance Practice to enable payments and record- keeping
Supporting the PCN Manager in producing an annual Budget, and annual PCN Accounts
Producing regular reports (e.g., for monthly PCN meeting) and budget comparisons as requested
Supporting the PCN Manager (deputising in their absence) in making claims for reimbursement to ICS / NHSE, and in submitting required information
In particular, keeping up to date financial information on all our “Additional Roles” staff to support monthly claims
Answering ad hoc queries as requested The successful candidate will:

Have financial management experience in a private or public sector organisation, including electronic payments, basic book-keeping, and monitoring spend against budgets
Pay very good attention to detail
Be competent using and writing simple to medium complexity spreadsheets for financial calculations
Be trustworthy and reliable
Be able to work independently within delegated authority, knowing when to ask for formal approval for payments Desirable attributes:

AAT or similar financial qualification
Experience of using and setting up a financial accounting package

For further information or to apply with a CV, please contact PCN Manager [email protected]

A tale of three Foxes | Then and Now

By

Editorial team

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13 September 2022

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Fox’s Close now stands on the site of the Fox Inn, once run by a Mr Fox. Roger Guttridge joins the dots in this month’s Then & Now

It’s hard to believe that this is the same location 120 years apart, although the name of this little L-shaped street of bungalows provides a clue.
Fox’s Close at Holwell takes its name from the Fox Inn that once stood on the site, and indeed from a Walter Fox, who was the landlord in the early 20th century.
As you drive through Holwell today, it’s also hard to believe that this modest Blackmore Vale village once had two pubs to serve its 417 inhabitants.
That was one pub too many for some villagers, though, and after the death of a previous landlady in 1883, they campaigned for the Fox’s closure.
The stated reason was that a village of Holwell’s size didn’t need two hostelries – which is a fair point, although I’m guessing that the temperance movement may also have had something to do with it.

Men only
The campaign against the evils of drink was in full swing in the late 19th century. In those pre-Suffragette days, women did not get a say in such matters, of course; even though they probably suffered more than anyone due to their husbands’ drinking. So it fell to Holwell’s men to sign a petition calling for the Fox Inn’s closure – 67 of them signed, 19 of whom were only able to do so with a cross.
The campaign obviously failed, as Walter Fox was still pulling pints at the Fox 20 years later, and it’s known that the pub was still in business in 1915!
According to a recent posting by Richard Rolls on the Lost Pubs Project website, the thatched pub was destroyed in a fire in 1961 along with the house next door, which was his great-grandmother’s home. Presumably that’s when the Fox’s Close bungalows were built.
Richard also posted a picture of Holwell Working Men’s Club members outside the Fox, which suggests it was once their regular meeting place.

Sturminster High School’s A level students show ‘incredible grit’

By

Editorial team

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13 September 2022

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‘Congratulations to all SNHS students on their very impressive A level and BTEC results today.’ a spokesperson for SNHS told The BV ‘These students in particular have worked extremely hard over the last two years, and suffered endless disruption due to the pandemic and school closure – their GCSE exams were cancelled and school closures and online learning have been a feature of their post-16 studies. They have shown incredible grit, determination and resilience in their studies over the last two years and their hard work has definitely been rewarded in these great results. Well done and congratulations to them all for their hard work and perseverance. And many thanks to all the teachers and parents who have worked so hard to support them through some challenging times.
‘All students have done extremely well and unfortunately we cannot mention everyone, but particular congratulations to:

Kalib Collins (AA A) Ella Case (ABB) Jack Tickner (AAAB) Ethan Bloy (AAAB) Holly Strange (ABC) James Kley (2 Distinctions in BTEC, and a B) Tamara Mruk (D BTEC)
Ann Louise Davies (D BTEC)
Steffi Dobrikova (D BTEC)
Charlotte Bartlett (D BTEC)
Anne-Louise Davies gained distinction levels in Health & Social Care, and achieved a merit in Creative Digital Media Production, having returned to study two additional full BTEC courses in a year.

Next steps
‘Our departing class of 2022 now looks forward to a wide range of next steps. Onward destinations include undergraduate study at UWE Bristol (Geography), Edge Hill University (Education Psychology), Southampton University (Physics), Swansea University (Criminology and Psychology), University of London Institute in Paris (International Politics), University of Durham (History), Queens Mary London (Engineering with Foundation). Some pupils are now headed for employment with the armed forces, one is going to join KOROUTINE LTD on a Degree Apprenticeship and various other apprenticeships will be started. There is also a wide range of exciting gap year travel itineraries.
‘The teaching and support staff of Sturminster Newton High School would like to wish every student the best of luck as they progress to their next step and congratulate them on these impressive and well-earned results.
A job well done.’

Relief/Part time calf rearer required | Nr Templecombe

By

Laura

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12 September 2022

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Relief/Part time calf rearer required on family farm near Templecombe.

We rear 280 calves between September and June, excellent facilities and good working conditions. Experience preferred but training will be given if required, good rate of pay to the right person who must be conscientious and 100% reliable.

Contact Giles on 07974 207127 or email [email protected]

WANTED – 500 bike riders!

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Editorial team

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12 September 2022

0

The call has gone out for cyclists to join the 10th anniversary Rotary Dorset Bike Ride, happening on Sunday October 9, starting and finishing at Longthorns Campsite next to Monkey World in Wareham.
Expected to attract over 500 riders, this year’s event is hoped to be Dorset’s biggest cycle ride. With five routes ranging from 22 to 108 miles, the challenge is designed to welcome riders of all ages and abilities.
This event has raised money for a number of charities over the past ten years, including an impressive £300,000 for Cancer Research UK.
Organiser, Richard Burnett said: ‘Our 10th anniversary is a huge landmark, and we are determined that this year’s event is the biggest ever, raising vital funds for cancer research.
Our aim is for all entrants to have a great day out, whether that’s families riding together, or competitive cyclists pushing their limits.
‘There’s a serious side to the event, which offers cancer survivors and those celebrating the lives of friends and family members impacted by cancer, to fight back and provide much needed funds for research.’
The five routes in this year’s event are 22, 35, 55, 70 and 108 miles, all created to pass through beautiful Dorset countryside.
Riders are invited to sign up for the event at dorset-bike-ride.co.uk. A discounted entry fee is available by registering in advance online – currently the fee is £35 per rider, and this will increase to £40 for registrations on the day.
Children under 16 are free, if they are registered online and accompanied by a paying adult.
‘Come on, let’s make this Dorset’s biggest cycle ride for charity!’
If you’d like to be involved, the organisers are looking for volunteers and marshals to support the event – please contact via the website.

Rural Dorset gets £6m investment, and Minette Walters answers 19 random questions

By

Laura

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12 September 2022

2

Just a few days after the September issue of the BV magazine published, the nation mourned the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In recognition of this, Jenny Devitt leads this podcast with a statement from all of us at the BV, and with the words of Angus Campbell, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Dorset: “Our loss is incalculable.”

In the first of The BV podcast’s September epsiodes,

Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda comes to rural Dorset, bringing ‘lightning fast’ broadband and other benefits.
Wincanton Sports Ground could close by the end of September, warn the trustees, if no one comes forward.
Baffled by the exam system and what those grades actually mean? Kingston Maurward’s Principal Luke Rake has an explanation for all us confused ones.
Author Minette Walters takes on the Random 19 questions
Charlotte Tombs’ successful flower farming business grew out of one packet of sweet pea seeds and some Instagram inspiration.