Food & Drink

Heather Brown is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a home economist with a passion for Dorset’s brilliant foodie scene. Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed which helps to champion Dorset’s food and drink businesses, as well as working with clients to recipe test, write food based copy, help foodie businesses with their online presence and make food for digital content. IG: @HeatherBrownUK

Well May was a bit of a chilly washout but June is here and the sun is back! With it comes some of our favourite seasonal fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries.

‘Pick Your Own’ farms across Dorset begin to open to the public in June so do keep your eyes peeled for your local farms and where you can pick some delicious fresh fruit.

Hospitality is open again and I don’t know about you, but I have missed it! There are plenty of new menus full of local ingredients and it has been great to see how owners and chefs have used the time to transform their venues. Many require you to book ahead but please remember to support your local places by cancelling tables that you no longer wish to use so they can seat other guests instead.

Sunday 20th June is also Father’s Day and many local businesses are offering delicious Father’s Day specials that would make perfect gifts. If you would prefer to try and make something yourself as a gift for your Dad this year, then this cookie recipe is simple and quick to make but still packs a punch with flavour. I like to add giant chunks of chocolate to my cookies, but you can change that for any ingredient you like - perhaps white chocolate instead, or chopped nuts and dried fruit.

Heather ...

The Best Homemade Cookies

Ingredients

(makes 12 large cookies)

• 125g butter • 125g caster sugar • 100g soft brown sugar • 1tsp vanilla extract • 1 egg • 225g self raising flour • 300g chocolate (broken into chunks).

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180º fan / gas 5. 2. Grease and line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. 3. In a bowl, beat together the butter, both sugars and the vanilla extract until light and fluffy (either with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon). 4. Then beat in the egg until the mixture is smooth. 5. Carefully stir in the flour and once combined, add in the chocolate. 6. Using your hand, scoop out the mixture and place onto the tray in rough ball shaped blobs (about the size of the palm of your hand). I like to put six on each tray with lots of space between as they spread when they bake. You can make smaller cookies if you wish, just make the balls of mixture smaller. 7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Check to make sure they are golden brown all over and cracked across the top. Cook for a couple of minutes more if still pale in the centre. 8. Freshly baked cookies are amazing but do try and leave them to cool for 5 or so minutes before eating as they will still be very soft initially and this gives them time to harden a little.

A CONSIDERED GLASS OF WINE

by Sadie Wilkins, Indie Wine Merchant,

Indie wine merchants have to battle many stigmas, from the perception that the bottles on our shelves are over-priced, or that we only do ‘special wines for special occasions’, to the notion that you need to be a wine connoisseur to step through the door.

Just to note - we do only stock special wines, but that’s because our carefullysourced, hand-selected wines – that start at £6 per bottle – make everyday drinking special.

Organic wine has unfortunately experienced the same stigma over the years. However, we’ve certainly noticed a change in customers’ psyche since the various and very public meat scandals in large supermarkets – every little bit of horse meat count springs to mind! There’s been a shift in interest into what actually goes inside the food and wine we consume – customers are more inquisitive, and rightly so.

This is where great indie wine merchants should really come into play.

For years, we have demanded the best; sourced wines by wanting a full breakdown from grape to glass and uncovered a clear insight into the winemaking process and the beliefs beyond the bottle from its makers, since day dot.

The question we should be asking as consumers is whether the bottle offers value rather than the price point being a sticking point. Whatever the bottle price – £6, £10, £20, it doesn’t matter; what does matter is that the juice within is offering good value for the region, grape and winemaking process that has gone into it. Oh, and that you enjoy it, of course!

Increasingly, wines are being produced in an organic or more sustainable way, which is fantastic for the quality of the wine, the locality of the vineyard, and, on a larger scale, the planet. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?

But modern wine drinkers are very savvy, forward thinking, and demand that the juice in their glass is the best it can be.

So, sustainable practices and certified organic wineries are becoming the norm, step by step, year by year.

The rules to becoming certified ‘organic’ as a winery varies across the globe, but in general the final product and its production process must be pure from chemicals, pesticides, GMO yeast, and lower in sulphites – essentially, anything that is not natural – plus, made from organic vines on organicallyfarmed vineyards. The wineries also have to be practising organic for a set number of years, before they achieve the glowing status. As with anything, there are challenges in becoming certified and it differs internationally, meaning some excellent vineyards with organic grapes do not seek certification. Again, this is where a good indie wine shop steps forward, as they filter through the story behind each bottle and ensure that you’re getting the real deal regardless and can offer you both certified and bottles from vineyards that are reputable but without the stamp, leaving the choice in your hands.

The upside is that the consumer gets a cleaner and greener glass of vino that reflects its terroir and isn’t full of toxins.

Drinking organic means boosting biodiversity and sharing a bit of love for our planet. I have to end on one of my happiest discoveries regarding organic wine – some vineyards have taken on, amongst other animals, Babydoll sheep to step in and do the weeding for them. They’re short enough to not reach the grapes and if you do a quick Google search for ‘Babydoll sheep wine’ then you’ll see for yourself just how happy they are! Their smiles are priceless!

Notes From An Epicurean

After a very wet May we finally have some sun and the rape fields are in full bloom, the intensity of the yellow is almost too bright to look at in full sun!

Most rape is grown as plant feed, but cold pressed rapeseed oil is now produced as an alternative oil for cooking and salads. The variety of oils now on the market can be a little confusing as to which is best - and there is some debate about this too!

The main things to consider are what one plans to use them for, the flavour one may want to add, the smoke point and quality.

Some oils will add an additional flavour to the food which may not always be desirable. The smoke point is an indication of how an oil can be heated before breaking down, possibly causing a burnt or nasty flavour.

The healthiest oils are generally the ones which have not been highly processed; things to look for on the label are ‘cold pressed’, ‘extra virgin’ and ‘organic’

. For frying one of the best is coconut oil as it is full of saturated fat and has a high smoke point, but if frying all the time it is one of the worst as all that saturated fat is bad.

Extra virgin olive oil is great for everything apart from cooking that requires a high heat as it has a low smoke point. Virgin olive oil is better for cooking as this has a higher smoke point.

Vegetable oil is a catch all name for the industry to use palm, sunflower, safflower, and canola oil, these are often highly processed and so, while good for cooking are not always the healthiest choice.

Some have Omega 3 oils, like hemp and rapeseed oil, an important consideration if on a vegan diet as most omega 3 oils come from eating fish. This brings me back to rapeseed oil, canola oil is from a hybrid plant created in Canada, (hence the name Canada oil shortened to canola). While cold pressed rapeseed oil and canola is high in Omega 3 the canola is highly processed and so less healthy. If one wants a local cold pressed rapeseed oil then one could try Fussels, produced on their own farm in Somerset, www. fusselsfinefoods.co.uk. They have an extensive range, and a few are available in Waitrose. Buying oil really can be a minefield with so much contradictory advice, good hunting!!

Simon Vernon Food Consultant & Great Taste Awards Judge

Fussels of Somerset provide a range of local cold pressed rapeseed oil.

Blanchards Bailey are a Dorset based law firm specialising in commercial and private law. Recognised by the Legal 500 as one of the top firms in the south west, renowned for their personal expertise, excellent client service and active role in local communities.

Celebrating the Best Dorset Food & Drink Producers in 2021

Flying the flag for Dorset food and drink producers, Love Local Trust Local, are getting ready to launch the 2021 food and drink awards.

Last week saw the Love Local Trust Local team welcome the sponsors of this year’s awards to Rawston Farm, to announce this year’s line-up of categories.

Founded to support the local farming community whilst educating the public on the benefits of shopping local, the awards are now in their second year.

So what’s it all about?

The awards have been created by farmers for farmers and other Dorset producers. What sets Love Local Trust Local apart from other food and drink related awards here in Dorset, is that they are purely here to focus on recognising Dorset-based farmers, fishermen, growers and other food producers, who so often go un-celebrated. There is no fee for entrants, giving all local food producers who are passionate about what they do a fair chance to enter.

Only producers based in Dorset, who source their ingredients from within a 30-mile radius, are invited to apply.

Founder of the awards Barbara Cossins comments “I am so humbled to see so many returning sponsors, as well as our newcomers who want to celebrate and support our local food and drink producers – without our sponsors, these awards simply wouldn’t be possible!”

The concern was originally established to protect the food producing community. Barbara continues, “Love Local Trust Local was founded to tackle the corruption of the food labelling industry and support British farmers, fishermen, growers and producers who work hard to maintain the high standards of their production. Our British producers have some of the highest standards in the world and the British public need to know what they can trust as a food label.”

To support the Dorset-based food and drink producers, follow along over on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

If you would like to apply for the 2021 awards, doors open for entries from Monday 28th June, although the entries have already started to roll in!

Alternatively, to join the sponsors team, contact awards@ lovelocaltrustlocalawards. co.uk. As part of the panel, you’ll be invited to taste some of the best produce Dorset has to offer, helping to judge the produce, and truly support local producers.

Founder of Love Local Trust Local, Barbara Cossins with her LLTL support bubble, at the sponsors meet and greet.

DORSET ARTISANS In association with Designed in Dorset is an online marketplace that showcases some of the best local artisan businesses. Featuring over 70 vendors, anything from a kitchen table to handmade jewellery, all from a small local business owner. CLICK THE PICTURES TO SEE MORE!