A little something special

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12 May 2023

May is such a glorious month – longer and brighter days, gardens full of colour and life … and hopefully some warm sunshine too! This year it also sees three bank holiday Mondays! Perhaps you are organising or attending a street party this month in honour of the King’s Coronation, or perhaps you are just taking a moment to enjoy what has felt like looooong-awaited warmth from some sunshine. Whatever your reason for a celebration (and really, you don’t need a reason at all), here are some delicious crowd-pleaser cupcakes for you: simple to make, full of flavour and just a little bit of decadence – fit for a coronation.

Lemon meringue cupcakes

Heather Brown is a food writer, photographer and stylist. A committee member of The Guild of Food Writers, Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed, as well as working one-to-one with clients.

Ingredients
(makes 12 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes

170g butter
170g caster sugar
3 eggs
170g self raising flour
2 lemons
lemon curd*

For the meringue

2 egg whites
200g caster sugar
80ml water

Method

Pre heat the oven to 170º fan/Gas 6. Line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake/muffin cases.
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together the butter, caster sugar and the zest of the two lemons until pale and fluffy (this takes about two minutes in a stand mixer and about four minutes when mixing by hand).
Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg.
Slowly mix in the flour, being careful not to knock too much of the air out of the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, distributing the mixture evenly between all the cases.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes are beginning to brown on top and when gently touched, they spring back. Leave to cool.
When the cakes are cold, remove from the tray. Carefully cut off the centre from the top of the cupcakes, making a little dip in the top of each one. Using the two lemons that you zested for the sponge mixture, squeeze lemon juice over the tops of all the cupcakes. This helps keep the cakes lovely and moist. Spoon lemon curd into the little dip you just made in each cupcake.
To make the meringue, put the egg whites in a clean and dry stand mixer or large bowl.
Put the water and the sugar in a small saucepan. Swirl them together – don’t mix after this point. Turn the heat to high and heat the sugar and water together until they reach 116ºC. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, then this temperature is just before the sugar water starts to colour brown so watch the mixture closely until you can begin to see it brown.
Take the sugar water off the heat. Beat the egg whites until they thicken and form stiff peaks. Keep beating as you drizzle the hot sugar water slowly into the egg whites, turning it into a thick and glossy meringue mixture.
Pipe this onto the cupcakes, or you can use a spoon. If you have a kitchen blowtorch, you could gently scorch the tops too.

*Lemon curd: ordinary shop-bought simply isn’t great. Many local producers make delicious lemon curd, just as good as homemade. But it’s simple to make, so why not use the egg yolks left over from the meringue and make your own?
Simply add the zest and juice of one lemon, 60g butter, 85g caster sugar, 2 egg yolks, 1tbsp cornflour into a pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2-3 minutes more, constantly stirring (otherwise it will stick to the pan). Take off the heat, pour into a bowl or jar and leave to cool. That’s it!

An exciting yet sad move for Team TB

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Editorial team

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12 May 2023

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After 18 months at the Fox-Pitt yard in Sturminster Newton, eventer Toots Bartlett is moving home (just over the border into Somerset!)

It’s been a month of mixed emotions for Team TB, as we say goodbye to our base at the William Fox-Pitt’s incredible yard in Dorset, and move back home – just over the border in Somerset.
What an absolutely extraordinary 18 months we have had. To be based at such a world class facility, with the opportunity to learn from the very best individual in our sport, has been so motivating and inspiring. I have learned a huge amount from both William and his head groom, Jackie Potts. It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime.
I am very sad to leave beautiful Dorset behind, but the whole team is also incredibly excited about the next adventure!
An unbelievable amount of work has gone on at my family home near Castle Cary – the heart of Blackmore Vale hedge country! We have developed our original small yard into a fabulous new facility, creating six new stables to give me a yard of nine, allowing me to expand and develop TB Eventing as a business. I will be producing young horses while offering schooling and coaching, and also providing equine physical therapy.
The old coach house has been converted and now provides stables, a gorgeous tack room and an amazing loft conversion for me (which I am super excited to move in to!).
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has made this possible and although there’s a lot of stress in the middle of a very big move, with all the associated sorting and organising, I can’t wait to see the end result.

Equador MW when he first arrived from New Zealand

Competing at last
Alongside the move, we did finally manage to get out eventing! The weather has continued its attempts at interrupting the 2023 season. However, a very long trip up to Burnham Market in Kings Lynn this month was well worth it. Equador MW gave me a fantastic ride round the CCI3*s for his first run of the year and we finished on a double clear. He’s a very exciting horse to ride and we are just about to celebrate one year of him arriving in England from New Zealand to join Team TB.
This month sees a big change, some trepidation, lots of sadness as I flee the nest and yet so much to look forward to.
Watch this space!

DORSET COUNTY SHOW 2023 Early bird tickets

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

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2 & 3 SEPT 2023 – Celebrating rural life in Dorset

EARLY BIRD ADULT TICKETS: ~~£23~~ £17 – CHILDREN GO FREE!
DISCOUNT ENDS 1 JUNE 2023

Book NOW! – https://dorsetcountyshow.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/

GILLINGHAM & SHAFTESBURY SHOW 2023 – Early Bird Tickets

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

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WEDNESDAY 16 & THURSDAY 17 AUGUST 2023

Early Bird Tickets now on sale, book early to save ££’s

https://gillinghamandshaftesburyshow.co.uk/

Food security: making British farming a national priority

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

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The NFU has raised a clarion call, demanding action on food security – and your support will count, says county advisor Gemma Harvey

Now, more than ever, the UK government must back British farming and make a secure supply of home-grown food a political priority. British farmers and growers need government policies to enable them to produce food in the countryside for generations to come.
That is why the NFU is calling on the government to deliver on its commitments to food security, starting with:

an annual stocktake of British food
an annual national food security summit
a commitment at least to maintain the levels of food produced in Britain, as outlined in the 2022 Government Food Strategy

Keeping the nation fed
Throughout world wars, financial crises and a global pandemic, a strong supply of homegrown food has been crucial.
Yet recent events have shown vulnerability in our supply chains and have put pressure on food production.
Since the COVID pandemic, the costs of energy, animal feed and even the tools needed to grow food have risen to historic highs, putting more and more farms across the country at risk.
The NFU has launched a food security campaign, calling for fairness for British farmers and growers, galvanising public support behind the idea that our supermarket shelves should never be empty of any food that can be produced by farmers and growers in Britain.
So far, more than 40,000 members of the public have backed the campaign – and there is still time to show your own support by adding your name to the Back British Farming food security campaign.

‘The clock is ticking’
NFU President Minette Batters told our annual conference: “the clock is ticking” and that “time is almost up for this government to start walking the talk”.
In August 2022, Rishi Sunak committed to back British farming as he made his bid to become Prime Minister.
Following an emergency press conference called by the NFU in December last year, the Conservative leader once again reiterated his commitments to food security.
The NFU has remained on the front foot and in April Mrs Batters gave evidence to the environmental audit committee as politicians focussed on food security during a key Westminster Hall debate.
NFU officials, including Minette Batters, have appeared in print, online and on television and radio in recent months, highlighting the importance of food security and the need to support British farmers in producing the healthy, nutritious and sustainable British food that we all know and love.
The NFU’s calls for action were viewed nearly half a million times on social media in the last week of April alone.
We will continue to mobilise supporters until the government follows through on its commitments. If you would like to pledge your support you can do so here.

Sponsored by Trethowans – Law as it should be

The art (and precision timing) of breeding

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

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Glanvilles Stud is deep in covering season’s intricacies; Lucy Procter unravels it while stud visitors delight in heartwarming foal cuddles

As usual, the BV’s Courtenay arrived a couple of days pre-publication to enjoy his monthly foal cuddles (that’s not actually what he’s there for – Ed).
We always enjoy showing visitors round the stud and share their enjoyment in watching the foals just being foals – galloping around, playing, eating and snoozing. To see the horses through a fresh set of delighted eyes gives us a new perspective on what can otherwise become day-to-day grind.
This month, as well as Courtenay, we have welcomed owners and their families, old friends, past employees and Clare Roberts, our nutrition expert from Saracen Horse Feeds. Clare is an invaluable visitor, walking round the stock with us every few months as the seasons and nutritional requirements change, discussing how our young horses are developing and advising on any adjustments to the type and quantities of feed in order to help optimise growth and condition.

Richenda Ford and family having a cuddle with their 4-week-old Golden Horn colt whom they plan to train and race once he is old enough.
Image:
Lucy Procter

Horse on holiday
Some of the older foals, whose dams are back in foal, are now living out – our thick hedges and trees providing shelter. April has still been cold at night, so when it has been wet and windy we have either rugged the foals or brought them in to give them a break from the weather.
The mares are left without a rug – it would be dangerous to put a rug on a mare with a foal at foot. While feeding, the foal could easily become tangled in the rug’s belly straps.
Two of the horses that are in training have also been turned out to grass, literally with their shoes off for a six-week break. They will be brought back into work again in mid-summer, but for now they are thoroughly enjoying their holiday with their friends.

Lady Stanhow’s 10 day old Jack Hobbs filly, having a snooze in the early May sunshine.

3yo Rinjani Bay enjoying her holiday breakfast with a friend.
Image: Lucy Procter

Four mares a day
It has been a busy month for covering mares (getting mares back in foal). The Thoroughbreds have to have ‘live covers’ – the mare has to actually visit their chosen stallion. Rather than boarding at a stallion stud, our owners choose to board their mares with us, and we carry out what is known as a ‘walk-in cover’. Our vet, Paul Legerton, carries out ultrasound scans of each mare’s uterus and tracks their cycles as they come into season. As soon as a mare has a well-growing follicle and increasing oedema, we phone the stallion stud and book a slot, usually in the next 24 to 36 hours, for us to bring the mare, with her foal if she has one, to visit the stallion. During the covering season – which starts on February 14th. Who says horse breeders aren’t romantic?! – a popular stallion can cover up to four mares a day, with six hour gaps between. As Doug prefers to travel early in the morning when there’s less traffic on the road, it has meant several 3am starts in the lorry to get a mare to the first cover of the day at 6.30am.

Act Now and Everlanes and their foals – two mares from Robert and Sarah Tizzard who came to foal at the stud. Lucy and Doug try to keep mares and foals from the same owners together in their friendship groups when they are at stud, helping minimise any stress in the mares.

Sambac. A certain photographer’s favourite and most photographed foal

Watching the clock
We have also started covering the sport horse mares boarding at the stud. These mares are covered using artificial insemination (AI), where our vet inseminates the mares here at the stud at the point of ovulation with chilled or frozen semen. If chilled semen is supplied, it is couriered from the stallion stud 24hrs prior to insemination. Frozen semen can be stored for several months in our nitrogen tank. As smaller quantities of less-fresh semen are inseminated than is the case in a ‘live cover’, insemination of frozen semen has to take place as close to ovulation as possible, within 6 to 8 hours. If chilled semen is being used then it should be within 24hrs pre-ovulation or up to eight hours post-ovulation.
Once covered, all mares – regardless of covering method – have an ultrasound scan two weeks after ovulation to determine if they are pregnant. It is important to know when ovulation occurred and to be exact with the timing of the pregnancy scan because if a mare scans with a twin pregnancy, one embryo will need aborting, and the vet needs to perform the abortion once the embryo is large enough to detect but before implantation in the wall of the uterus; the optimum timing for this is 15 days post-ovulation.
If both foals were left to grow there would be a far greater chance of the pregnancy failing or of the foals being born small and weak.
With three new foals taking their first steps into the world for their owners this month, and several new mares arriving either for foaling down and getting back in foal, or empty mares arriving to be covered, it has been a busy month on the stud.
We’re all now very much looking forward to the warmer months when all the stock will be living out and we can dig out the stables and have a good summer clean and deep disinfect … ready to start all over again next winter.

Paul Legerton, the stud vet, artificially inseminating Black Swan, one of the sport horse mares.

Exciting late news, just in, the recently retired Honeysuckle has been nominated for an award at the Thoroughbred Breeders Association Dinner at the end of May. Fingers crossed!

Shared Ownership in Dorset – COMERWICKE FIELDS OKEFORD-FITZPAINE

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

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Available to reserve now!

Aster have a selection of 2, 3 & 4-bedroom shared ownership homes* at the lovely Comerwicke Fields development, situated around 3 miles from the town of Sturminster Newton.
Situated within the Blackmore Vale in Dorset, Okeford Fitzpaine is surrounded by outstanding rural countryside in the North of Dorset and could be the idyllic little village you call home!
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property ladder in Dorset.

Call 01258 787 438 or scan the QR code in the advert below

A new market for Shaftesbury

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Editorial team

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11 May 2023

1

With entertainment and dozens of artisan goods and food stalls, the monthly event will boost tourism and trade, says Rachael Rowe

Who doesn’t enjoy the lure of a market? The quirky artisan stalls, the smell of sizzling bacon, fresh flowers, a new scarf … and a chance to sample some local food and a hot fresh coffee while meeting old friends.
A new monthly market is coming to Shaftesbury on Saturday 13th May. It will be run by the same team who manage the successful Sunday market in Sherborne. Already, 80-plus traders are signed up, and it is expected that more than 100 stalls will spread along Park Walk and down the High Street to Angel Square. The Abbey will be open and buskers will add to the atmosphere.

A careful selection
The range and quality of the stalls are the measure of any market and director Jules Bradburn explains the rules for trader selection: ’They must be local and have artisan products that they have either made themselves or curated for sale. There are also food sellers and stalls selling alcohol.
‘For example, we have a trader who goes to Jaipur to curate screen printed clothing. Another lady sources her products personally in Morocco. We like to feature all our traders on our Facebook page and website so people can really get an idea of who is here and what is available. It works – Sherborne Market started with 75 stalls and now we have more than 200 every month.’
Jules works hard to ensure it’s an eclectic mix – in Shaftesbury you can expect to see gins from Tackroom Distillery, interesting wooden crafts from Bespoke Woodwork, Amelia Stone Jewellery and solid wood furniture from Richard Heath.

Does Shaftesbury need one?
Locals and regular visitors know that Shaftesbury already has a farmers market and also a country market every Thursday. Does it need another one? The new Shaftesbury Market is being managed in collaboration with Shaftesbury Town Council. Andy Hollingshead, who leads the council’s High Street Working Group, says: ‘We are delighted to be working with Jules along with our own brilliant independent and national retailers in delivering this exciting new artisan market experience. We are confident that this will keep Shaftesbury as a leading destination for shopping and tourism.’
But what do traders at the existing Thursday country market feel? Cheesemonger Carolyn Hopkins is a regular with her characterful Truckle Truck (pictured opposite), but she won’t be at the May market as she has a prior commitment elsewhere. She thinks there is ‘absolutely room for both’ in Shaftesbury: ‘The new market will bring a great variety of different stalls to the town, so it shouldn’t impact the established markets.
‘I’m lucky enough to have a pitch at the Sherborne Pannier Market, and I find that the months when the Sherborne Market is on are actually busier there too.’
Carolyn feels the market will also benefit the town: ‘Anything that raises interest in the town itself is a great opportunity – the market should bring shoppers in and boost trade for the whole high street, as well as increasing general visitors coming to Shaftesbury at other times by making us a destination.’
Jules highlights some of the benefits the Sunday market has brought to Sherborne: ‘Contrary to some initial shopholder fears, we have found that the market complements the existing shops and they benefit from the increase in trade.’
The new Shaftesbury monthly market will be tested on Saturdays and Sundays to see what works best for the town. ‘We’re constantly testing and evaluating,’ says Jules.

Where will everyone park?
With all the stalls and the potential for a lot of visitors, where will everyone park? Jules has done some planning and analysis: ‘None of our traders will be parking in the public car parks. Arrangements have been made for them, we use vehicle registration and we have stewards who check the alternative parking arrangements. But it’s something we will be reviewing.’
As someone familiar with the Sherborne Market, who has also worked and traded for many years in Shaftesbury, Carolyn Hopkins says; ‘I know they’re already looking at it, but parking! It’s the perennial issue in Shaftesbury … Other than that, to keep doing what they’ve done so well in Sherborne – it will be a great fit in Shaftesbury.’

For more information about Shaftesbury Market, visit the website theshaftesburymarket.com

Stalls not to miss:

There will be freshly baked authentic baklava, made by Somerset-based Baklavaty. Dunya started at the Sherborne Market in 2020, bringing her original recipes from Libya. Her sweet treats are a firm favourite and always sell out.
Colin The Vintage Salvager is a talented designer-maker of bespoke industrial style homewares, furniture and garden products. His ingenious use of salvage makes his products both affordable and desirable.
Popular baker and Dorset Farmers Market regular Lizzie Baking Bird is bringing her delicious goodies from Upwey – look out for her sausage rolls and brownies.

Ecotherapy, Gardening & Wellbeing

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Editorial team

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10 May 2023

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This May, Dorset Mind is encouraging people to connect with nature as part of the proven Five Ways to Wellbeing

Spending time in nature can be beneficial for supporting your wellbeing. It can help improve your mood, reducing anger or stress, and taking part in activities outside, such as gardening, allows your mind to focus and relax.
In addition, gentle exercise can help support your physical health – reducing the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic medical conditions.
Community allotments are spaces which enable users to connect with others, helping reduce isolation. Feedback from Dorset Mind’s ‘Eco in Mind’ support programme, delivered at several sites across the county, shows the amazing impact of gardening and ecotherapy in providing support for participants:
‘I am really struggling to leave the house at the moment but when I get to sessions they really help, and I feel it is a safe place to come’ – February 2023
‘I was in tears before attending and left feeling happy. Focusing on nature-based art has helped lift my mood’ – November 2022
‘Since attending sessions, I feel a greater sense of being able to cope with my week. After the sessions, I feel uplifted and grounded. I’m learning and it is really helping me each week’ –March 2022

Community allotments
Dorset Mind is expanding its ‘Eco in Mind’ ecotherapy programme to reach even more people who need their mental health support. Local allotments will host charity groups to support Dorset residents.
People are encouraged to self-refer, but can also be referred by a health professional.

Dorchester
On Mondays, Dorchester continues to host sessions for young people from a local secondary school, with a mixed adult group later in the morning.
On a Thursday, Dorchester sessions include a mixed adults art and plant session and a session supporting more young people. There is a new third session for paramedics, NHS, and blue lights staff.

Shillingstone
‘Eco in Mind’ is offering a new session in Shillingstone, at the Yellow Bus Project, supporting adults with their mental wellbeing by growing fruit and vegetables to give to the local food bank. These sessions will run on a Friday morning.

Shaftesbury
Dorset Mind has announced new sites in Shaftesbury to support patients at a local medical centre, in conjunction with Blackmore Vale Partnership and Shaftesbury in Bloom, with sessions to also run on Fridays.

Stay seasonal
If you don’t have access to a garden or allotment space, you can still enjoy the season’s produce. Baking and cooking are also mindful activities that support your wellbeing.
Rhubarb is still going strong – why not bake a heart-warming crumble? You could also connect with nature simply by going to a local Pick Your Own farm.
We are lucky in Dorset to have easy access to enjoy such a rich variety of environments, from our thickly-hedged farmland to our ancient woodland, the precious chalk downlands and of course the beaches in south Dorset.

Find out more about the Eco in Mind programme on dorsetmind.uk or email [email protected]
for questions relating to volunteering or accessing
this service.