Food & Drink

Undercover Diner visits…

Gainsborough, Milborne Port, Sherborne DT9 5BA

As is the way now, I had looked online first, and found some great reviews which left me wondering can they be that good? The proof is in the eating as they say so I called to see if we could book. “Yes of course I will find you a table.” A lovely beginning to our Clockspire experience. At the beautifully restored Victorian school building, the parking was easy and we were made to feel welcome and shown upstairs to the lovely cocktail bar. I had a Ven Royale, made with their homemade pomegranate syrup. Delicious. There is a choice of two menus, the evening one and the taster menu which is for two people sharing. Back downstairs, our table was in what is a stunning restoration of an old school room, very high ceilings, lovely timbers and beautiful lighting – nothing not to like about the setting. The wine list too looked very good, but since my husband is teetotal I am normally limited to an odd glass of at best ordinary wine. Well, how nice to have a choice of good wines by the glass. I was happy to pay a little more for this. Before the ‘main event’ started, we had homemade bread and butter, again delicious. For starters my husband had a lovely lobster dish and I had homemade smoked salmon, followed by sea bass and venison. All the dishes were perfectly cooked with masses of attention to detail. We ended with blackberry parfait and treacle tart, which my husband ordered. For me the treacle tart was the outstanding moment. He gave me a taste of the most wonderful buttery, crispy pastry... I refused to give it back to him and polished it all off. Our lovely waitress asked if we would like to meet the chefs in the kitchen afterwards, you bet we would! Great atmosphere, great food and super staff. We really enjoyed our evening, exceptional and recommended.

The Clockspire Restaurant

Valentine’s at Keyneston Mill

Three course dinner with a bottle of house wine to share. Then settle down to watch our viewing of the fi lm Notting Hill. Includes a free gift. Saturday 12th February £75.00 per person Book here www.keynestonmill.com Visit our gift shop and purchase a 50ml or 100ml Parterre perfume and enjoy a FREE gift, subject to availability

Enford

Farm Shop

Durweston DT11 0QW Home reared and locally produced meats, game, deli, fruit, veg, free range eggs and lots more. Follow us on Facebook for all our latest meat pack deals and what’s in fresh that week. Fresh fish van in the car park Wednesdays 9.30am-2pm Half a pig approx £100 Chicken feeds etc available Open Wednesdays to Saturday 8.30am-4pm. Outside shop with self service for essentials 8am-8pm open daily 01258 450050

Cooking…

Crumbly Rhubarb Sandwich Bars

It will all be going on in the candlelit sheds of the Rhubarb Triangle up in Yorkshire now. Bang in the middle of the season, slender, tender, and bright pink, forced rhubarb, which lasts from Christmas to Easter, is at its peak. Available in the shops, some of you may be growing your own. You will need to part-bake the base first then top with the rhubarb and crumble whilst the base is still hot before returning it to the oven. Don’t forget the crucial dry coating for the rhubarb. I always go for this kind of thing in coffee shops if I see it: remind me to give you my blackcurrant and apple version later in the year!

Makes 8 bars (or 16 modest squares) 450g forced rhubarb, sliced into 1cm pieces Plus Dual purpose mix for base and topping: 100g plain flour 25g wholemeal flour 100g salted butter, diced 150g porridge oats 100g golden granulated sugar Plus Dry mix for coating rhubarb: 50g golden granulated sugar 25g plain flour

Preheat oven to 180C (fan), gas mark 6 or equivalent You will need a greased and lined 20cm brownie pan

Base and Topping Rub the butter into the flours. Stir in the oats and sugar. Spread two thirds of the crumble mix (a little over 300g) into the prepared tin. Smooth down firmly with the back of a metal spoon. Reserve the remaining crumble (around 150g or so)

with Mrs Simkins

for the topping. Bake for around 15 for minutes until firm and beginning to colour.

Dry Mix Meanwhile, combine the sugar and flour. Add the rhubarb and mix thoroughly. Spread over the base whilst it’s still hot from the oven: including any coating left in the bowl. Scatter the reserved crumble mixture evenly on top. Return to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Mark into bars and cool in the tin. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee these are also lovely with a dollop of yoghurt for breakfast.

www.MrsSimkins.co.uk www.twitter.com/ MrsSimkinsCooks email: info@MrsSimkins. co.uk

Boniti cooks up a treat with their Everhot demonstration

On Thursday January 20, Boniti hosted an Everhot cooking demonstration at the Breezy Ridge Vineyard, which sits adjacent to their showroom in the rolling hills of Melbury Abbas. The turnout included customers new and old to see the cooker put through its paces and learn the best ways to cook on an Everhot Range Cooker. Renowned chef David Pengelly led the session, offering helpful tips as well as answering the many questions visitors had about cooking with these fantastic cookers. David has had many years of experience cooking on all types of range cookers, so was perfect to provide open and honest advice to those considering taking the plunge. He produced a great selection of tasty treats for the guests, including a classic swiss roll, fluffy fresh bread, scrumptious sausages and pan seared salmon. The team at Boniti chose to host their event at the Breezy Ridge Vineyard to provide patrons with a spacious environment to view the cooker in, but to also showcase the winery which opened early last year. If you too are interested in learning about Everhot Range Cookers, Boniti have two models in their showroom which they can demonstrate to you. To arrange an appointment, give them a call on 01747 811141 or emailshaftesbury@boniti. com