Peter Morgan of Cranborne’s Book and Bucket Cheese Company has just announced the launch of a new cheese, Stowaway – you might say it was literally launched, as the new product has been created specifically for the Queen Anne cruise ship, the latest addition to the Cunard fleet.
Peter Morgan of The Book & Bucket Co
Stowaway is the first of two new cheeses, both the results of a collaboration between Peter and Cunard’s development chefs – a second bespoke cheese will join the ship later in the year. Stowaway is a sheep’s milk cheese, made using a special blend of cultures to create a unique flavour profile fit for this state-of-the-art ship. It was important to have a connection with Cunard’s long history at sea, so Peter has combined this modern blend of cultures with a traditional cheddar-making process. It is finished with the remarkable Blackthorn salt, made by the ancient tower method which is unique to Ayrshire. Finally, the cheese is aged in the Book and Bucket cheese cellars. The Dorset provenance gives the cheese a terroir that only Cranborne Chase can provide, producing a natural rind that changes through the seasons. The combination of new cultures, natural rind and traditional cheesemaking methods fits perfectly with Queen Anne, who made her inaugural voyage in May, with her naming ceremony scheduled in Liverpool in early June. Stowaway was on board for that maiden voyage, along with two others from the Book and Bucket range, Cranborne Blue and Smoked Blyton.
Peter Morgan founded the Book and Bucket Cheese Company five years ago. When he began making cheese, he sought the advice of people who had more than 120 years experience in the industry between them. Each said the starting point was to “buy some books and read as much as possible. After that it is just bucket science – keep playing until you make something you like!” And so, in January 2019, with a bucket full of recipes, many ideas and the help of friends, Peter launched The Book and Bucket Cheese Company. He has developed an extensive knowledge of each type of milk, how to perfectly age a cheese, how the right salt can enhance and change a flavour profile, an understanding of the distinctive notes of traditional Cheddar and how to create modern flavours from the cultures. Peter Morgan is justifiably proud of the Cunard collaboration. He says: ‘Everyone involved in developing this cheese has fallen in love with it.’
What happens to an ordinary happy family when one member dies suddenly? How do they – how does anyone – deal with the grief, but carry on with life, particularly if there are children who need care and attention? This is the poignant and powerful theme of Sue Ashby’s new play, Sweet Sorrow, which will be staged by SNADS – Sturminster Newton Dramatic Society – at the Exchange on Friday and Saturday 21st and 22nd June. The play, a bittersweet contemporary drama of love, loss and hope, follows the paths of Gemma, her husband Jo, daughter Sky and son Josh. It explores with humour and insight what happens to a happy, loving family, when cancer – in remission for four years – reemerges, and the household is tragically reduced from four members to three. The impact of an untimely death on a young family is a challenging subject to dramatise. But can we afford to ignore it when unspent grief is a recognised cause of poor mental health? This production follows a recent Sue Ryder Foundation study that found that 86 per cent of bereaved people feel alone in their grief, while 81 per cent of people reported that they didn’t know what to say or do when someone close to them was grieving. Sue says: ‘Pair the two together and it’s obvious we have a societal issue on our hands.’ The play, set in Sturminster Newton, is the most recent work by Dorset-based playwright Sue Ashby (Coronation Street, Families, BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Theatre), directed by Nicole Forbes, who trained at East 15, and whose credits include Vera Drake (Mike Leigh), Vanity Fair (Focus Features), and work for BBC Radio 4. With her late partner, Tony Benge, Sue has written plays for various local groups and organisations, including community plays for Bourton and Sturminster Newton. SNADS recently attended the NODA South West Awards Ceremony to collect the District Achievement Award for its production of Rabbit. Described as ‘a theatre company that does not shy away from challenging subjects’, Sweet Sorrow is another SNADS production that deals with important and difficult events. Book tickets at stur-exchange.co.uk
In a powerful open letter, Jo Thomson, the head of Clayesmore School, has challenged Sir Keir Starmer’s new tax policy for independent schools, likening its potential impact on rural communities such as North Dorset to the devastating pit closures of the 1980s.
Labour aims to generate £1.7 billion by imposing VAT on private schools if it wins the election. The party has committed to using these funds to recruit 6,500 new state school teachers, implement a national “oracy” programme, and ensuring all state schools in England have access to mental health counselling.
On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer revealed additional plans to establish 3,300 new nurseries, also funded by the proposed VAT on private schools. While the party’s manifesto, published on Thursday, offered limited details on the VAT plans, it emphasised the intent to “invest in our state schools.”
A Labour Party spokesman told the Telegraph: “Labour will invest in delivering a brilliant state education for children in every state school by recruiting over 6,500 new teachers, funded by ending tax breaks for private schools.”
In her letter, Jo Thomson outlines the deeper issues behind the seemingly popular Labour policy. She explains that it’s far too simplistic to think of independent schools merely as places of education for the children of wealthy families.
‘Clayesmore educates 530 pupils in a small rural community,’ she says. ‘Some are military children, 162 receive support with their learning. Like most independent schools in the UK, we do not educate the Jacob Rees Moggs or the Boris Johnsons of this world. 95 pupils receive bursaries and a further 159 receive scholarships. We are also privileged to have 12 Ukrainian pupils in our midst; all fully funded by Clayesmore’s tight budget. None of these families could ordinarily afford private school fees.
‘The local primary school Head and the local secondary Head are both on my board of governors. We work closely together to the benefit of all our pupils and neither could absorb additional students in their schools should this tax be imposed on Clayesmore parents.’
She goes on to explain the social impact Clayesmore, like every other rural independent school, has on its immediate community, with residents enjoying facilities and entertainment at the school, and the school in turn supporting a complex network of local businesses, illustrating that – like most private schools – Clayesmore is both a major employer and client to the local business community.
‘I grew up in a small town in the Midlands that has never recovered from the closure of the mines in the 1980s. I have witnessed first hand the demise of communities when their beating heart has been removed … There is a large network of key people who enable us to function and who in turn depend on us for their livelihoods. Domestic staff, gardeners, caterers, plumbers, maintenance and administrative staff, amongst many others. Wherever possible, we buy our meat, dairy and veg from local farmers and work with many local businesses and suppliers to provide maintenance support, equipment and services to the school: these are all local people we know personally, and who value our contracts as much as we value them.’
Jo Thomson ‘wholeheartedly agrees’ with Labour’s determination to level up opportunities for every child and says she ‘would be delighted to work alongside you to discuss more ways in which schools like ours could support you in that goal.’
She finishes with an urgent call for Keir Starmer to understand that this policy – while potentially vote-winning on the surface – will have a far-reaching ripple effect that will disproportionately affect small rural communities like North Dorset’s:
‘I ask you not to underestimate the wider impact on small, often rural towns, full of hardworking people that depend upon the employment and other opportunities created by independent schools. Many independent schools, like those mines once were, are the lifeblood of small communities. Policies which undermine their existence will have a devastating impact on the lives of many; and not just the children who attend them.’
See the full letter below:
Dear Mr Starmer,
I am the Head of Clayesmore School in Dorset and I know we share a belief in the power of education to change lives. Someone once said that it takes a village to raise a child and it is that village that I want to talk to you about today. I want to draw your attention to the damage to communities that the addition of VAT on school fees will inflict; an important issue that I feel has not yet been fully understood or acknowledged.
Clayesmore educates 530 pupils in a small rural community in the village of Iwerne Minster. Some are military children and 162 receive some support with their learning. Like most independent schools in the UK, we do not educate the Jacob Rees Moggs or the Boris Johnsons of this world. 95 pupils receive bursaries and a further 159 receive scholarships. We are privileged to have 12 Ukrainian pupils in our midst; all fully funded within our very tight operating budget. None of these families could ordinarily afford private school fees. All our pupils are down to earth, respectful, humble young people who are being educated to recognise the value of their education and to understand that they have a duty in the future to give back. Having not been educated privately myself, believe me when I say that it has always been my mission to ensure that the pupils in our school are not arrogant, selfish or entitled.
The school is central to the village community which has a high proportion of retirees; many of whom love attending our music concerts, art exhibitions and seasonal celebrations and our pupils enjoy their daily interactions. The locals enjoy visiting our cafe and in return our staff and pupils make good use of the village shop. It’s a complex, mutually supportive and happy ecosystem of which, I think, you would approve.
I grew up in a small town in the Midlands that has never recovered from the closure of the mines in the 1980s. I have witnessed first hand the demise of communities when their beating heart has been removed. Too often we think of schools merely as places full of teachers and children, perhaps forgetting about the network of key people who enable us to function and who in turn depend on us for their livelihoods. Domestic staff, gardeners, caterers, plumbers, maintenance and administrative staff, amongst many others, pull together to ensure that the students have a safe and supportive environment in which to learn.
At Clayesmore, wherever possible, we buy our meat, dairy and veg from local farmers and work with many local businesses and suppliers who provide maintenance support, equipment and services to the school: these are all local people we know personally, and who value our contracts as much as we value them. In 2016, we invested in a biomass boiler to meet our goals of sustainability and energy efficiency and to demonstrate to our youngsters that we are doing our bit to protect the world they are going to inherit: the wood chips come from a farm down the road.
Being a school that cherishes service, community and hard work, I am proud of the way in which we play a part in enabling these small businesses to thrive. I cannot imagine where those hundreds of people are going to find jobs should some of the UK’s independent schools have to merge or close. The local maintained primary school Head and the local secondary Head are both on my board of governors. We work closely together to the benefit of all our pupils and neither could absorb additional students in their schools should this tax be imposed on Clayesmore parents.
In 2016, Brexit promised £350m per week to be diverted into the NHS. The reality has never matched the rhetoric. I fear that the VAT on private school fees policy, whilst similarly attractive to voters, is unlikely to bring in the hoped for £1.6bn for state schools but the consequences of the policy will be far-reaching and irreversible.
Sir Keir, I wholeheartedly agree with your aspiration to level up opportunities for every child and I know the difference a great education can make in transforming young lives. Indeed, that is what gets me out of bed each day. I would be delighted to work alongside you to discuss more ways in which schools like ours could support you in that goal. But in pursuing this admirable ambition, I ask you not to underestimate the wider impact on small, often rural towns, full of hardworking people that depend upon the employment and other opportunities created by independent schools. Many independent schools, like those mines once were, are the lifeblood of small communities. Policies which undermine their existence will have a devastating impact on the lives of many; and not just the children who attend them.
This month Barry Cuff has chosen a couple of postcards of Hinton Martell. Lying four miles north of Wimborne, it is curiously the only Dorset village with a Mediterranean-style fountain at its centre, which was inaugurated by Anne Sidney of Poole – who was crowned Miss World 1964.
Sent in 1910 to Mrs Moberly, in Upper Norwood, in the Crystal Palace area of London: ‘I thought you would like to know I am here. I found my friend 2 months ago. It is so pretty here, better than card. I should like a line from you. I hope you are all well, much love Beca Hinton Martell nr Wimborne Dorset’
n the image, the grocer’s horses have paused for a lunch snack at Hinton Martell Post Office and Shop – the 1855 Kelly’s Directory for Ringwood lists a ‘Kingsbury, John Biles & Sons, grocers, cheese factors, tallow chandlers & provision merchants, High Street’. By the 1911 directory they have become ‘Kingsbury & Co. wholesale grocers’, and have moved address to Friday’s Cross.
The card was sent in 1916 to Miss D Batchelor, to a four storey London townhouse in the Camberwell area: ‘Dear Dolly. What do you think of the other side – I think the house is lovely. I will write a letter after Aunt Mag is gone. We have had nice weather so far, a bit showery today. P & M & children are going to Bth tmorrow. Have written to ask Amy to meet them at Parkstone [sta]tion to go down with them. I hope [it] will be a nice day – I hope Willie is all right & not much trouble. Lots of love from all to all. From Auntie (we had Mrs Dynott & went for a drive yesterday afternoon.)
Savour an array of local delicacies from more than 20 cheesemakers, family fun and live music at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival drone shot – image Graham Pengelly
Are you a turophile (that’s a lover of cheese, in case you’re wondering)? Then you might want to pop 14th and 15th September in your diary, and set the satnav for the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. Always a much-anticipated event in the local foodie calendar, this year the festival boasts more than 20 cheese makers, alongside a wide variety of other local West Country food and drinks traders. From cheddar to blue cheese, olives to pasties and cakes to chocolates, there is surely something to tempt every taste bud at the festival. And let’s not forget the locally-produced gin and vodka that is also on offer.
image Graham Pengelly
Sit back and enjoy The two food marquees buzz with activity from the moment the Cheese Festival opens its gate, as visitors sample the delicious offerings from the various vendors. Crafters also showcase their talents at the festival, and you’ll be able to browse a range of handmade goods such as candles, leatherwork, art and jewellery. Visitors can watch demonstrations by the Dorset Lacemakers and the woodworking skills of the Coppice Group, as well as support the local charities and organisations that are present at the event. One of the major highlights of the festival is the Real Ale & Cider Tent, where visitors can sample a variety of locally-brewed beverages. Everyone’s favourite is to sit on a straw bale and enjoy a pint while listening to some live music – or, if you prefer, there is of course plenty of tea, coffee and a variety of other drinks available while you sit and soak up the atmosphere. For the younger visitors – and the young at heart – there is plenty of entertainment, including a FREE Punch & Judy show. When you’re finished working your way through the samples in the food tents, there will naturally be plenty of outside food choices, be it a cheese toasty or an ice cream! The combination of delicious food, live music, and a buzzing, vibrant atmosphere make the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival a must-visit event for foodies and families alike. For tickets, more information and updates, visit cheesefestival.co.uk and follow the festival on Facebook or Instagram. Come and join us for a day of delicious food and live music at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival – we can’t wait to see you!
The Cheese Festival will take place on 14th and 15th September from 10am to 5pm at the Recreation Ground, Ricketts Lane, Sturminster Newton. Early Bird tickets are available at a discount until midnight on 31 July – https://bvmag.co.uk/sturcheesetickets Weekend tickets are also available and must be purchased in advance from the festival website.
Poole Lighthouse hosts the final date of Lost Songs of Scilly, a new project that explores the stories and songs of the Isles of Scilly. The national tour ends in Poole on 20th June, giving a Dorset audience the opportunity to hear the new music and songs created by Piers Lewin and John Patrick Elliott to celebrate these very special islands off the south west coast. Poet, musician, wood-turner and cook Piers Lewis has lived on the tiny Scilly island of St Agnes for 25 years. Following the disappointing realisation that his island home (unusually for a Celtic outpost) has no surviving indigenous music, he has made it his personal mission to compose and perform music that reaches the very heart of the place. Early in this quest, he began collaborating with composer and producer John Patrick Elliott, a regular visitor to the islands. The concert and album evoke that Celtic heritage, the isolation of the islands, their traditions, their dramatic coastlines and weather and their history, entangled with but separate from the mainland. There are foot-stomping reels, songs that sound as if they have always been sung and ambient immersive instrumentals. It is music infused with an unshakeable sense of place – evocative island soundscapes, field recordings woven through songs of the sea, celebrating the resilience of a creative, independent island community and transporting audiences to this truly beautiful place. Much of the music is created and recorded outside in the landscape – the ambience of wind and wave reflecting Scilly’s unspoilt soundscape. Many of the dance tunes draw inspiration from the powerful traditional Celtic music of neighbouring Cornwall, while the songs distill the rich stories and complex traditions of a remarkable, resilient maritime community. lostsongsofscilly.com
From Shakespeare to new scripts, Gay Pirrie-Weir takes us through the 15 companies bringing Dorset its summer feast of drama under the stars
Fifteen alfresco theatre companies will be touring our region in the coming months, and their actors as much as their eager audiences will be keeping their fingers tightly crossed that the rain finally stays away and everyone can look forward to balmy evenings in the open air. It’s a bumper crop for 2024, and as always there’s a selection of plays from Shakespearean favourites to original creations, from comedy to dark mystery, musicals to children’s shows. Venues range from the grounds of stately homes to atmospheric seaside settings. Audiences are usually asked to bring low-backed chairs, and to arrive in time to set up their picnics and sit back to enjoy the performances. Best position rage is, lamentably, a growing practice, so be sure to put on a smile and remember there are other people wanting to see the stage! There is also some competition to bring the best picnic – not quite at the Glyndebourne silver candelabra and Krug level, but you might get a few snide giggles at a bag of stuff snatched from the petrol station en route to the venue. What a piece of work is man, as the Prince of Denmark might have said. And you can hear him saying it when the Lord Chamberlain’s Men come to a venue near you. Other Shakespearean plays are prominent, predictably that open air Midsummer Night’s Dream favourite, chosen by Chapterhouse and Troubadour Stageworks. You can also see Dukes Theatre in As You Like It, The Festival Players in The Tempest, Handlebards and Three Inch Fools in A Comedy of Errors and Illyria in Romeo and Juliet. Editor Laura and I have been discussing how people decide on going to open air plays – is it because you choose your favourite company and go to whatever play they produce, or because you always go to the nearest venue to your home? Do you choose the plays you know and like, or those that you have never seen before? Or do you wait until the last minute to see what the weather forecasters have to say? This year there are four new companies, and several well established summer tourers. The choice is yours …
Illyria, will be staging The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle at Castle Gardens in Sherborne on 21st June, Maumbury Rings in Dorchester on 9th August and Kingston Lacy near Wimborne on 29th August.
Calf2Cow Theatre touring Sherlock and Watson: A Murder in the Garden comes to Maumbury Rings in Dorchester on 7th June, Winterborne Stickland on 16th June and Arundells in Salisbury Cathedral Close on 27th June.
The multi-production Chapterhouse, touring Beauty and the Beast at Stourhead on 23rd August, Little Women at Stourhead on 30th August and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Sherborne School for Girls on 25th August.
Newcomers Dukes Theatre touring As You Like It to Kingston Lacy on 26th June and Kingston Maurward, Dorchester on 23rd August
Long-established Festival Players touring The Tempest, at Shaftesbury Abbey Garden on 22nd June and Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens on 24th June.
The Handlebards, the troupe that travels between venues on bicycles, towing their props behind them, have chosen A Comedy of Errors, and you can see it at the Larmer Tree Gardens on 23rd June, Castle Court School at Corfe Mullen on 25th June and Maumbury Rings in Dorchester on 26th June.
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men celebrate their 20th anniversary with a production of Hamlet
Another long-established and always multi-production company, Illyria, will be staging The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle at Castle Gardens in Sherborne on 21st June, Maumbury Rings in Dorchester on 9th August and Kingston Lacy near Wimborne on 29th August. Their second show, Romeo and Juliet, is at Castle Gardens on 4th July (just in time for the election!) and at Corfe Castle on 15th August. The Illyria production of The Gondoliers is at Castle Gardens on 16th July and their final show of the year, The Hound of the Baskervilles, is at Castle Gardens on 6th August and Corfe Castle on 8th August
Newcomers Immersion Theatre have chosen Peter Pan, and you can see it at Athelhampton House on 22nd June or Arundells in Salisbury Cathedral Close on 11th August.
The all-male company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men celebrate their 20th anniversary with a production of Hamlet, coming to the lawns of Rack Close at Salisbury Cathedral on 7th and 8th June, Kingston Lacy on 12th and 25th July, Athelhampton House on 19th July and Breamore House on 24th August.
It’s a welcome return for Cornwall-based Miracle Theatre, who took a break last year and return with an original show, Love Riot, coming to Ibberton on 1st August, and at Kimmeridge Bay the following day. Both these stops are promoted by Artsreach.
New company Plandits Theatre will perform The Secret Garden in the grounds of Athelhampton House on 3rd August.
Quantum Theatre has two shows – Great Expectations coming to the Rifles Museum in Salisbury on 19th and 20th June, and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck at Corfe Castle on 1st August and the Rifles Museum on 30th August.
Miracle Theatre return with an original show, Love Riot, coming to Ibberton on 1st August, and at Kimmeridge Bay the following day
The best named company for an English summer, Rain or Shine, has Oscar Wilde’s enduring comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, coming to the Roman Villa at Rockbourne on 6th June, Bishop Wordsworth School in Salisbury on 28th June, Maumbury Rings in Dorchester on 25th July and Upper Leigh Farm in East Knoyle on 26th July.
My own favourites, The Rude Mechanicals, bring their commedia dell’arte style to an original story, The Dressing Book. See them at Abbotsbury Sub Tropical Gardens on 8th June, Bradford Abbas on 27th June, The White Horse at Stourpaine on 28th June, Tarrant Monkton on 18th July or Child Okeford on 20th July.
The multi-instrumentalist actors of Three Inch Fools will tour The Comedy of Errors, coming to Higher Orchard in Sandford Orcas on 16th August and a new show, The Secret Diary of Henry VIII at Corfe Castle on 22nd August.
The locally based Troubadour Stageworks have chosen A Midsummer Night’s Dream and their tour includes Kingsettle Stud at Cholderton on 29th June and Hatch House near Tisbury on 20th July.
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