Thank you to Marie-Claire and Michelle, the Country Living Chefs, for making us so welcome at the Christmas Fair this week. Ideal to feed a crowd, these colourful ‘pass and share platters’ make a welcome start to a lazy morning during the holiday season. Sage and...
It’s always a joy to join Alison and the after school allotment club in Cranborne. The children are so enthusiastic about cooking the produce they have grown. For the second year running we have been involved in the RHS Big Soup Share. Chopped butternut...
You will need 900g (2lbs) redcurrants, washed well and leaves removed but stalks can remain Measure the water depending on the ripeness of the fruit. If the currants are under rip then allow 300ml (1/2 pint) but if they are ripe simply add half this amount. If you...
After much anticipation, Wild Garlic or Ransoms are in season. We first discovered tender green shoots peeping through the last snowfall a couple of weeks ago. Now that the milder weather is here, this rampant Allium can be found in deciduous woodland and beneath...
Select a good quality marmalade or ideally make your own for this cake. Even though the Seville season has drawn to a close this year, there is no reason that you cannot make a ‘three fruit marmalade’ or even a lemon and lime variety. This is a great...
To make 12 cakes using a 7.5cm (3inch) cutter you will need: 175g (6oz) Self- raising flour 85g (3oz) Butter cut into cubes 50g (2oz) Light brown soft sugar 50g (2oz) Currants 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 medium free range egg & 1 tablespoon milk – beaten together...
We all have our favourite marmalade recipe, handed down on a scrap of paper that easily came to hand as notes were quickly scribbled. Or perhaps yours was torn from a weekly magazine the printed words now splattered with juice and sugar and the ink faded. Nothing...
It’s cold and frosty outside, the perfect weather to get you in a festive mood. Stir up some homemade mincemeat, packed full of Christmas flavours that will remind you of childhood celebrations and seasonal gatherings. Then get set and be prepared ahead of...
Just recently Lisa gave a private AGA class in a beautiful Dorset farmhouse close to Sturminster Newton. As well as teaching the lovely Jules how to prepare partridge from her shoot, they spent a cosy afternoon preparing a rich fruit cake so that it could bake slowly...
There are so many versions of this recipe and everyone claims that their particular favourite is the original! This adaptation was shared by a neighbour who regularly won the village produce show each year. You may like to add a teaspoon of mixed spice and a handful...
For two portions: 4 slices of day old uncut bread with crusts neatly removed 1 large free range egg 25g (1oz) caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 140ml (1/4 pint) single cream 25g (1oz) unsalted butter To serve – a handful of raspberries per person...
To celebrate Afternoon Tea Week we are opening our ‘pop up’ tea room once more. Join us on Saturday 19th August for a Dorset cream tea served from 2pm until 5.30pm. We are sorry but this event is now FULLY BOOKED. If you would like to arrange a private...
As long as we manage to keep the pigeons at bay there is an abundance of berries in our garden at the moment. Or if you prefer to cut out the hard work of growing your own visit your local farmers market www.dorsetfarmersmarket.co.uk for a selection of the best...
Our latest feature in Sherborne Times can be found on pages pages 68-69 of the August issue. Blessed with such a glorious summer this year, harvest has come early. The drivers of the tractors and combine are all working hard in the fields surrounding the village. ...
You will need 2 free range egg whites to measure 70ml (2 floz) 100g (4oz) caster sugar – sifted Flavouring – rose water, vanilla extract, Method Measure whites and whisk until they reach stiff peaks. This means that the bowl could be turned upside...
Talented Norwegian food stylist and photographer Maria Villmones Bondeson achieved her ultimate goal with the ‘world’s best cake’. This great story all began with a trip to Dorset to attend Karen Barnes food writing course which we host here in the...
Step back in time this weekend as the village of Wimborne St Giles hosts a vintage rally with over sixty tractors which will travel from Manor Farm BH21 5NL and around the Shaftesbury Estate by kind permission of the Earl of Shaftesbury. This glorious event has been...
Meringue roulade with gooseberries in elderflower syrup One of the most requested AGA recipes we receive is for meringue. Swiss meringues to be sandwiched together with thick Jersey cream, can be made in a similar fashion to conventional recipes but a meringue...
You will need: 200g (8oz) rich short crust pastry 4 large egg yolks beaten together (freeze the whites for making meringues another time) 300ml (10floz) crème fraiche 2 tablespoons of onion marmalade 1 small bunch of chives – washed and very finely chopped 25g (1oz)...
Try roasting a couple of medium sized beetroots, give them a good scrub under the tap, then trim off the top and tail. Cut into equal sized wedges, place in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season the beets with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast...
