The demonstration and presentation at the Dorset Spring Show has to be described as a complete success again this year. On both days we had a full house, with lots of people enjoying the tastings and talks by all the wonderful producers: South Paddocks Ltd (rare breed pork), The Book and Bucket Cheese Company (cheese), From Dorset With Love (jams, chutney and condiments), Meggy Moos Dairy (milk, cream and butter), and Rawston Farm Butchery (meat). It was great to see so many people genuinely interested in what we all had to say. Rachel from Meggy Moo’s brought some lovely double cream and we got everybody making butter, tasting Rachel’s milk and delicious home-made butter.
Peter Morgan from Book and Bucket showcased his smoked halloumi and curd cream cheeses: he paired the halloumi with a sweet chilli jam by From Dorset With Love, and their lemon curd was mixed with Peter’s curd cheese for an easy cheesecake idea.
I wanted to show people the difference between natural hog sausage skins versus the collagen bovine man-made ones – and also how easy it is to make meals with sausage meat, minced beef or a mix of both beef and pork. We also discussed food prices and why it matters to check labels for the true origin of what we’re eating.
Claire King from the Nutrition Advisory Team (NAT) joined us, talking about the importance of the nutritional value of food and about getting food education back into all schools.
Bec Hill, a farmer from Winterborne Keyneston and a Dorset County Show committee member was our main anchor and support for the two days – her knowledge of food and farming was very important. We made a great team, really working together to showcase Dorset produce. Thank you to all of you for making it such a success – and a big shout out to our sponsors Blanchard Baileys solicitors who made it possible.
Our next event is Open Farm Sunday on 8th June – farmsunday.org, Dorset has just four Open Farm Sunday participants this year, and Rawston Farm stands out as the county’s only full-scale working farm opening its gates to the public. If you’re curious to see a true commercial mixed farm in action, with dairy cows, arable land and livestock raised for food production, Rawston Farm is the place to visit. It’s a rare chance to explore a real working farm and chat with the people who run it – not just about the animals in the fields, but about food production, sustainability, and the everyday realities of farming in 2025. We look forward to seeing you there.
Join us for a FREE expert-led workshop on what the latest tax reforms really mean – and how to plan ahead:
Wednesday 11th June, 7pm at The Langton Arms,
Tarrant Monkton
