Simple and delicious – Breakfast Pasties (and they’re easy!)

By

Editorial team

-

26 January 2022

0

Ingredients (makes six large pasties)

For the pastry:

• 125g butter (room temperature) • 125g lard (room temperature)
• 500g plain flour

For the filling:

• 8 sausages
• 1 packet streaky bacon • 1 small carton of button mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 tin of baked beans • A little oil for frying
• 1 egg for an egg wash

*Breakfast Pasties image: Heather Brown*

Method

Put the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter and lard – literally rubbing the butter and lard with
the flour between your finger tips so that they combine. When completed, your bowl will be a pile of golden crumbs.

Pour in some cold water, a little at a time, mixing it into the crumbs until you form a ball of dough. Don’t knead or handle the dough too much.

Wrap the dough in cling film or pop in a sandwich bag and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This step allows the gluten in the flour to relax before you shape it.

Whilst the dough is in the fridge, use the time to prepare the filling. Cut the onion into small chunks and quarter the button mushrooms. Fry these together in a frying pan over a medium heat with a little oil (or butter if you prefer), • until they have softened and coloured a little. Place into a bowl.

Cut the bacon into 1cm pieces (I use a pair of scissors for ease) and fry in a little oil until crispy. Add to the onion and mushroom.

Take off the skins from the sausages and pull into pieces. Fry the sausage pieces in a little oil • until cooked. Add to the onion, mushroom and bacon pieces, give them a good mix together and leave to cool.

To make ahead, stop here: leave the mixture to cool, cover with some cling film and fridge until the morning. The pastry will also keep well overnight. This allows you to get a lot of the prep done ahead of time for an easier morning.

To make the pasties – preheat the oven to 200o/gas 6/fan 180o. Line two flat baking trays with a piece of bakng parchment.

Liberally flour your work surface and rolling pin. Divide your ball of pastry into 6 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of pastry into a rough circle shape, about half a cm thick and 15cm in diameter (you don’t have to be at all accurate here – these measurements are just a guide).

Place a good size dollop of the fried mixture in the centre of the pastry and add a large, tablespoon sized amount of baked beans on top (straight from the can).

Fold the pastry in half and crimp the edges together so that the mixture can’t get out (forming a crescent pasty shape). Place on the prepared tray, and repeat for the remaining 5 pasties.

Crack the egg into a small dish and beat quickly. Brush the beaten egg over the pasties.

Bake for 20-30 mins.
When baked, the finished pasties will look a lovely golden brown all over.
After 20 minutes, if you have used 2 trays, they may need to be swapped over in the oven to give them all an even bake.

These delicious pasties are the perfect indulgence for a weekend cozy brunch. It looks like a long recipe, but it’s super-simple. Plus you can make the pastry and cook the filling the day before, so all you need to do is pop the pasties together and bake.
A full English inside some buttery pastry, served with lashings of tomato ketchup… what could be better?

Heather x

Heather Brown is on the committee of the Guild of Food Writers; a home economist with a passion for Dorset’s brilliant foodie scene. Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed, championing Dorset’s food and drink businesses, as well as working with her food industry clients.

Five bikes, 50 ladies, 2,000 miles

By

Editorial team

-

26 January 2022

0

The Ladies of St Greg’s Primary School in Marnhull are soon to undertake a mammoth challenge: spin bike 2000 miles in 24 hours. For books!

The ‘Ladies of St Greg’s’ hail from all corners of the community; Headteacher Mrs Field, Year 6 pupils, teachers, governors, our local Reverend, doctor, nurses… but they are united in one endeavour; to raise £3,000 for a series of high quality, inspiring and aspirational texts to engage the children.

In times gone by it would have been inconceivable that a school should need to fundraise for books – but that is the reality all schools now face.

With usual fundraiser events largely curbed during the pandemic, the Ladies have set their aim on this one big fundraising endeavour. The 2000- mile ‘journey’ will take the Ladies from St Greg’s to London, then on to Paris-Prague-Vienna-Venice before finishing in the eternal city, Rome.

They will spin from 14:30 on the 20th of January and aim to complete the journey by the same time on the 21st of January. Along the way the children will learn of the famous cities they travel through, and Cookie and Cream (the school Guinea Pigs) will enjoy different backdrops representing each city; this truly is a journey for the whole school. Special thanks go to Simon Hoare MP who attended the launch, channelling his inner Brucie with a game of higher or lower that the children loved. He went on to say “I’ve never been lonely with a book; every culture, story, myth & country can be found there”. Also thanks to sponsor Robert Frith Optometrists. James Risley said “Frith are privileged to be able to help this initiative – I have the utmost respect for the ladies taking part!”

The Ladies of St Greg’s would appreciate any support readers may feel they can offer: https:// stgregorymarnhull.dorset.sch. uk/bike4books/

The Dorset food & drink stories behind the ‘Love Local Trust Local’ Awards

By

Editorial team

-

26 January 2022

0

Barbara Cossins, founder of Dorset’s Love Local Trust Local label and annual food producer awards, shares some of the most moving stories behind this year’s deserving winners.

*Barbara Cossins, founder of the Love Local Trust Local label and Awards.*

Love Local Trust Local more than just a label. It is becoming an entire Dorset food movement. And in the annual Love Local Trust Local Awards there is a way to tell the story of where our Dorset food & drink comes from.

The Awards celebrate the best of the best in those small Dorset businesses who put their heart and soul into creating our locla produce. Organisations that create honey and cheese, source local fish and meat, bake cakes and savouries, blend gins & mixers, cook jams & condiments, pick flowers and fruit and much more.

The 2021 awards counted 14 categories, including ones for those who contribute significantly to innovation, diversity, conservation and sustainability in Dorset food & drink production. This year there were many impressive achievements by the award entrants, as they battled to survive against the pricing and weight

Sewage in the oyster farm

Dorset Oysters are one of the heart-warming stories. Runners Up in the 2021 Love Local Trust Local Fish Awards category, they faced an immense challenge last summer when the authorities poured sewage into their local Dorset waters and they not only had to immediately stop farming, but also withdraw thousands of oysters that had already been sold to loyal customers. The financial implications were huge and they were left to salvage what they could. They have survived in the face of adversity and were celebrated at the awards for their hard work and determination. of the big supermarkets and chains, and against a worldwide pandemic that nearly destroyed many of them.

The terrible children

There was also an award for a local Dorset restaurant that not only supports Weymouth fishermen but has become an integral part of local life.

Les Enfants Terribles, led by Chef Eric, was ‘on its knees’ when a large group of diners left without paying a huge food & drink bill in the midst of the pandemic. They almost went under – and say it was purely due to the support of the local fishermen who continued to supply them that they didn’t, and got them back on their feet. This unpretentious, cosy bistro is a gem of a restaurant and was the well deserving winner of the Love Local
Trust Local 2021 Recognition Award for Showcasing Local Produce.

Successful enterprise built on ethics and sustainability

One of the outstanding achievements of the 2021 awards were the sterling efforts of Gullivers Farm Shop & Kitchen. A social enterprise that regenerated the oldest building in West Moors and in 2015 opened as a market garden, a deli kitchen, a farm shop and a farm. Their committed team have gone from strength to strength, they farm mindfully and responsibly and hold themselves 100% accountable for maintaining ethical and environmental standards on their organic, biodynamic farm.

“A clear winner. Not taking from the environment, but contributing to it. Conservation and sustainability at its best.”
Love Local Trust Local Judges

*The Gullivers Team (far right) accepted the special Love Local Trust Local Champions Award from the joint sponsors Barbara Cossins (far left) and Rachael and Alan Perrett of Meggy Moo’s Dairy.* – Image Robin Goodlad

As part of Sturts Community Trust, Gulliver’s also offer inclusive living and work employment and work opportunities to those with learning disabilities and special educational needs. The judges of the Love Local Trust Local Awards were ‘blown away’ by the positive spirit of everything they had to offer the Dorset public. As well as winning the Conservation & Sustainability Award, after a powerful and emotional presentation on Awards night, Gullivers were awarded the special Love Local Trust Local Champions Award. The full support of everyone in the room was behind Gullivers as they received a £300 Winner’s

Prize Cheque given jointly by Meggy Moo’s Dairy & Love Local Trust Local.
“Quite simply blew us away, truly inspiring, educating their community, championing all the values of Love Local Trust Local.”

Champions Accolade from the LLTL Judges

Local food is good for more than our plates

Love Local Trust Local are loudly sharing their love for local food with the wider community so that they can continue to educate and encourage people to eat and shop from small, independent businesses nearby. This in turn ensures support for the complex and skilled network of local Dorset farmers and producers, building a thriving economy. We all have to champion British food if we want to keep it in our shops and on our plates.

Sponsored by Blanchards Bailey – Law for Life

Garden jobs for January

By

Editorial team

-

25 January 2022

0

This month’s jobs from Sherborne’s expert gardener Pete Harcom

• Pruning

Winter pruning can be done now on your climbing roses, apple and pear trees. Also magnolias, cotinus, berberis and flowering currants can all be pruned now.

Try not to cut too far away from – or too close to – a bud, and always make the cut slope away from the bud.

• Sowing

Sow your antirrhinum, sweet peas, lobelia, begonia semperflorens, geraniums (pelargoniums) now,
in gentle heat in the greenhouse or simply on an indoors windowsill – in a propagator if possible.

• Planting

If the soil is not too wet or frozen, now’s the time to plant bare root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees. Bare rooted plants are far less expensive than container grown plants and can establish swiftly. Many deciduous and evergreen shrubs, trees and hedging plants can be planted bare rooted as they are dormant between November and March. After this time of dormancy, the roots will then establish themselves quickly as the soil warms up in the spring.

• Organising

Check that small alpines in the garden don’t become smothered by fallen leaves and other wind-blown debris.
Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven’t totally dried out.

Clear away soggy and collapsed stems of perennials and compost them.
Remove and bin hellebore foliage marked with black blotches, to limit the spread of leaf spot disease – do not compost these leaves.

Deadhead winter pansies and other bedding regularly, and remove any foliage affected by downy mildew.
Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, willow and viburnum.
Take root cuttings of fleshy-rooted perennials such as oriental poppies, acanthus and verbascum. Order seeds and plug plants
An idea worth trying might be to press mistletoe berries into the bark of apple trees to establish your own mistletoe plants!

• Planning

Now’s an excellent time to plan and replant herbaceous borders. You don’t need to be an experienced gardener; ideas can be drawn from the web such as www.rhs.org.uk. There are many websites that will help with your design ideas.

by Pete Harcom – Head Gardener at Sherton Abbas Gardening

£20,000 granted to local charity working with grieving children

By

Editorial team

-

25 January 2022

0

There is delight at Milborne St Andrew-based charity Mosaic upon receipt of a large grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Local charity Mosaic offers support to bereaved children and young people across Dorset. They have continued to offer support and help throughout the pandemic, using online services and other creative ways of working, and ensured that they have kept in contact with every family who needed their help. They are, however, continuing
to see a significant increase in enquiries and referrals, many directly due to COVID. Over the past 18 months, like every other chairty they have been unable to hold events to fundraise and income from donations has greatly reduced.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, grant- making charity which supports causes across the UK and, in the most recent financial year, has donated over £98 million. Since it was established, it has exceeded donations of more than £1.2 billion, of which well over half has been given in the past ten years.
Known for its transparency, flexibility and straightforward approach, the Foundation supports a broad range of charities from small community organisations to large national institutions. Around 2,000 charities across the UK benefit each year from the Foundation’s grants.

The £20,000 grant awarded to Mosaic will make a real difference to all the young people they work with at such a difficult time in their lives.
The charity hopes they will be able to resume their own fundraising in 2022 – in the meantime they have extended their Christmas appeal to the 31st January.

Are you tough enough to take on the 2022 cycle ride’s new 75 mile ‘Challenging’ Route?

By

Editorial team

-

25 January 2022

0

Shaftesbury Rotary Club are delighted to announce that their hugely popular charitable fundraiser, the North Dorset Cycle Ride, will be back again in May with some exciting additions.

This popular annual ride, taking in the towns and villages around the Blackmore Vale, is Shaftesbury Rotary’s biggest fundraising event of the year. The Rotary committee have set themselves their most ambitious fundraising target yet – hoping to raise £25,000.
As usual Prostate Cancer UK will be the main beneficial charity, and the remaining funds will be distributed to the benefit of local charities and good causes.

New innovations in the old routes
There are some exciting changes for the 2022 event – the old 12 mile Family Fun Ride has been adapted to be more inclusive for younger riders and their families. While still finishing on the iconic Gold Hill, the course itself is now much shorter and flatter than previous years and there will be entertainment along the way to keep the smaller riders engaged and happy.
The traditional start for all the routes is still from Castle Hill with its glorious views over the Vale. New for the 2022 event are staggered start times for groups; so you can set off together with friends in sociable waves.
As always, the ride’s pinnacle will be the iconic Gold Hill finish line that will involve cycling (or attempting to cycle!) up the famous ‘Hovis hill’.
A new 75 mile course has also been introduced for 2022 for the ambitious – the challenging and scenic course will really push the keenest of cyclists to their limits.

Perfect partners

Jim Highnam, Managing Director of ride sponsor BV Dairy, comments; “We’re proud to be involved. We have some keen cyclists at BV Dairy, including myself, that will be taking part, and many employees will be volunteering as marshals too”

Gillingham & Dorset Wheelers will be providing rider numbers that will make a great keepsake souvenir (no more soggy paper numbers!). They have also generously offered to put on a mechanical stand on Castle Hill to deal with any last minute punctures or bike repairs.

How to enter

There are four routes to choose from, all starting on Castle Hill and finishing on Gold Hill. The easiest is the family-friendly 6 mile route. Then there are the 25, 50 and the new 75 mile challenger route to choose from. Registration is now open online for a modest £25 per adult for the 25 mile and 50 mile ride, £30 per adult for the 75 mile ride and only £5 per rider for the Family Fun ride. Riders can sign up by going to the website –

www.cycleride. shaftesburyrotaryclub.org

Time to look back and learn | Voice of the Allotment

By

Editorial team

-

25 January 2022

0

In the quiet days of the middle of winter, Barry Cuff reflects on the last year of growing in order to improve this year’s harvest.

*Romanesco Broccoli – also known as Roman Cauliflower – has small lime green conical florets and was first documented in Italy in the 16th century. image – Barry Cuff*

The plot supplied us with wonderful fresh produce over the Christmas period.
For our dinners there was cauliflower, romanesco, sprouts, leek, carrot and parsnip. Romanesco has small lime green conical florets which are more tender than cauliflower curds. With no real frosts, the salad patch continued producing excellent leaves of Mizuna, Palla Rosso radicchio, two mustards, Golden Streaks and Red Frills plus Bluemoon and Redmoon Autumn radishes. Both these radishes have coloured flesh and look great in the salad bowl.

How our 2021 looked

Looking back over the last twelve months, it is time to assess the performance of the varieties we grew.

Of course, as in farming, the weather has a major role in this, and I keep records of the weather on the allotment. Rain, or lack of it, is the most important factor for us. Rainfall for 2021 was about 39 inches, which is above average.

The wettest months were May and October. The driest April and August. White frosts occurred at the end of April and the first week of May.

Barry is still cropping exotically-coloured salads thanks to the mild winter, with leaves of Mizuna, Palla Rosso radicchio, two mustards, Golden Streaks and Red Frills plus Bluemoon and Redmoon Autumn radishes image – Barry Cuff

Under attack

Our five lines of Hurst Green Shaft peas suffered attacks from pea and bean weevil so yields were somewhat down on previous years.

Attacks usually are worse during cold dry spells when emergence is slow. For some reason the mangetouts were not attacked. The garlic produced much smaller bulbs than usual, despite being planted early. Our beetroot yields were well down – some of this was due to sparrows who love the young seed leaves!

The rain in May and June did wonders for growth, so despite these problems most vegetables gave excellent yields. Sweetcorn (Lark), squashes (Crown Prince, Butterfly and Sweet Dumpling) carrots (Early Nantes) Parsnip (Palace) and French beans (Safari) were the top performers. Onion, broad beans, runner beans and celeriac all did well too.

Our potatoes loved the wet May and June and yielded well. Top performers were Rooster, Elfe, Picasso, International Kidney and Charlotte.

The brassicas all benefited from the rain in June. Once again Cendis cauliflower produced heads weighing two to three kilograms! We were pleased that Ironman produced secondary heads well into December.

So a good year on the whole, with a few exceptions. We now look forward to the new growing season.

By Barry Cuff

Happy Blue Year?

By

Editorial team

-

25 January 2022

0

January feeling a struggle? Thorngrove’s expert team share their own enjoyment in the start of the year, the steady, busy transition to spring – and invite you to share in it.

Here we are again; a fresh start, right? The decorations are boxed away, and at Thorngrove our eyes are firmly fixed on the Spring that will be upon us before we know it. The first week back in January mainly consists of A LOT of pre-spring cleaning and preparing room for the new plants that will be along soon. Both our Glasshouse and Plant Nursery team have their work cut out for them, but experts Chris and Mark have also expressed excitement about this time of year.
“Sometimes the first few weeks after Christmas can be seen as a bit of recuperation time – but not for me!” said Chris “Things have already started ramping up with sowing continuing, potting up of wedding trees – I enjoy it though, I prefer to be occupied. We’ve also been getting our Employ My Ability students back into the swing of things after their well- deserved break, and they’ve all shown great enthusiasm and brought lots of Christmas stories with them.
Mark agrees “January isn’t as bare as some may think. The Camellias are still looking lovely, and just coming through now are Hamamelis, winter flowering shrub. This time of year can be understated in terms of vibrancy on the shrubs, but there is plenty to take in (and lots of work to be done), trust me. I enjoy this transition from Winter towards Spring very much!”

Blue Monday

Supposedly the saddest day of the year, this year Blue Monday, falls on the 17th January – approaching as I write. It can often feel like an overbearing, dark day on the calendar. Back to work fatigue has caught up with us, Christmas dented our wallets but payday is far off and the weather is often grim!

Being in an environment like the one we have here at Thorngrove really does help make things that little bit easier.

Shrubs springing to life, and the different teams pottering around to make our garden centre the best it can possibly be. If you’re feeling a little low in this early part of the year, consider stopping by – even just for a walk around, we promise you’ll spot something that will bring a smile to your face.

Thorngrove Garden Centre

Free training courses in skilled trades for Dorset adults

By

Editorial team

-

24 January 2022

1

Bournemouth & Poole College are offering adults in Dorset the chance to upskill or re-train through government-funded skills bootcamps.

#Train4Tomorrow offers free, high quality, digital and technical training to employed and unemployed adults. The training is designed by industry to meet their open vacancies.
Ten training providers across
the South West, including Bournemouth & Poole College, are offering adults access to 12-16 week intensive training courses to help them to boost existing skills or retrain for free.

Who can take part

The courses are open to all adults aged 19+ who are employed or self-employed, career returners or those who have been unemployed for less than 12 months and looking to upskill or re-train.

Free welding and marine electrical bootcamps
The Bournemouth & Poole College is offering free 12-week bootcamps in welding and marine electrical. Both courses are taught two days a week, and offer a guaranteed interview with a local employer upon completion.

The bootcamps have been developed alongside industry partners to upskill adults who have no prior experience in the sectors, and are looking to retrain for a new career.
During the Bournemouth & Poole College bootcamps, learners will gain practical skills and knowledge in welding or marine electrical to prepare them for progression onto an apprenticeship, further study, or employment.

No experience necessary

Simone Tyrie, Employment & Skills Project Coordinator at Train4Tomorrow, says: “The programme offers adults in Dorset access to free and flexible training programmes with little or no experience required.

The courses, worth up to
£3,000, have been developed in response to regional skills gaps and help people access secure and well-paid employment.
The free courses run for an intensive 12-16 weeks, meaning people juggling employment, and or caring responsibilities can gain skills quickly, and start putting them into practice as soon as they complete the course.”

A new career

One learner who has taken advantage of the opportunity to retrain in welding is Jac Bunney. Jac reflects: “I loved metal work when I was at school in the 80s, but a career in welding just wasn’t something which was considered an option for girls back then.
“Now that my children have grown up and left home, I felt it was time to do something for me. I absolutely love it and it’s definitely the way I want to take my career.”

Nigel Smalley, Director of Learning for Engineering & Construction at Bournemouth & Poole College, says:

“The bootcamps are crucial in helping employers meet industry demands, and encouraging more people in the area to develop in-demand skills. We are delighted to be partnering with local employers Sunseeker and Iracroft to fast-track our learners to interviews, and meet local labour needs.”

If you’re looking to learn new skills or to update your existing knowledge visit train4tomorrow. org.uk to discover a range of digital and technical courses. Digital and Technical Skills Bootcamps are open for applications for January and February start dates. If you’d like to apply directly to the courses at Bournemouth & Poole College, starting on the 18th January (welding) and 19th January (marine electrical), go to www.thecollege.co.uk/skills-bootcamps