DORSET winemakers Langham Estates have won the Judgement of Parsons Green IV, a competition to find the best English sparkling wines. Langham’s winemaker Liam Idzikowski was thrilled with the success of their Classic Cuvee 2010: “We are absolutely delighted to have done so well in the Judgement of Parsons Green – not only because of…
A WILD mushroom pie has taken a Bournemouth man into the finals of the Badger Ales national pie competition, which will be judged at the Hall & Woodhouse pub-restaurant in Bath on Thursday 6th March. Russell Clarke beat nearly 700 entries to reach the finals. He won the first round of the vegetarian category, impressing…
WHEN customers ask for this cheese, they pronounce it one of two ways: “Oh-gleshield” or “Ogg-leshield”. I spoke with Jamie Montgomery, who makes this fine cheese in North Cadbury, Somerset and he says it’s Oh-gleshield. That’s settled, then. Jamie’s celebrated unpasteurised cheddar, Montgomery, uses milk from his Friesian herds, while Ogleshield is made from the…
WEST Country beef and lamb have been awarded protected status by the European Commission. Regional meat has been given Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status while another specialist regional product, Anglesey Sea Salt, has been given Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. The EU designations give the products similar protected status to 60 other UK foods,…
A monthly column by Justin Tunstall of Town Mill Cheesemonger, Lyme Regis FRANCIS is an outstanding Dorset cheese success story. Few cheeses win consecutive Best in Category gongs at the British Cheese Awards (our Oscars), yet Francis, a lovely washed-rind gem from Child Okeford has achieved this feat, scooping Best New British Cheese in 2012…
A new monthly column by Justin Tunstall of Town Mill Cheesemonger, Lyme Regis BEING a cheese judge brings mixed blessings. While it’s an honour and invariably stimulating to spend a day with one’s fellow judges, discussing the qualities of a selection of cheeses, not all of the cheeses submitted are up to snuff. Sometimes a…
EASY Bean, based on a farm in South Somerset, has launched a new “bean” inspired, gluten-free range this autumn. Company founder Christina Baskerville has added the new Chickpea Crispbreads to her pioneering range of one-pot meals which she launched six years ago. The Easy Bean mission is to produce tasty, healthy and convenient food that…
DAVID and Karen Richards, of Capreolus Fine Foods at Rampisham, have won the prestigious Champion Product Award in this year’s Taste of the West food and drink awards for their Guanciale, a Dorset version of an Italian classic. Chef and food-writer Mitch Tonks, who was the champion product judge, said: “This really shone out as…
NEW Zealand famously has more sheep than people – and it also has a lot more cattle than human beings. So it is not surprising that the resulting surplus of dairy products has made this small country a major exporter of butter and cheese. And it’s not just a big export industry – many rural…
FANCY a cocktail? Forget James Bond’s martini (shaken not stirred, of course), the legendary Manhattan or some trendy new concoction from the latest hot mixologist – Blandford’s Hall & Woodhouse brewery wants you to try beer cocktails. The brewery’s Dorset Beer Festival not only offered a chance for serious beer lovers to try more than…