It was a promising beginning – tasty burgers (either pork and fennel, or lamb with chilli) eaten with a side of home-made slaw, hummus and a barley “cous cous”, while looking out over the beautiful Dorset valley in which River Cottage nestles.
We watched chicken fighting – no, not that sort! This was human beings dressed in fat chicken suits whacking each other with enormous rubber hands – some of the best entertainment going on a Saturday night – as the sun went down and it grew a little chilly. So we headed for the gig tent to see Tankus the Henge playing all their own material with frontman/showman Jaz Delorean jumping vertically from his smoke-enveloped piano and gradually losing his clothes – very nice torso Jaz, thanks!
Sunday dawned dull and cloudy but gradually warmed up nicely. We began in the food tent with the Uglibun crew, and a rather early tasting of Conker gin – from Conker Spirit – Dorset Dry is a fresh approach to gin, balancing ten botanicals with elderberries, samphire and gorse flowers. Good enough to drink without tonic!
Children were also busy in the tent under the watchful eye of Imbhams Farm Granary creating their own muesli and bread mixes – and cooking up a storm of pizzas and rolls.
Our next stop was Polgoon – the award winning Cornish wine and cider people – who have just introduced a Sicilian lemonade to accompany its elderflower pressé – love the new branding!
Yarty Cordials, headed up by the wonderful Jayne Mugridge, also had a range of fruit vinegars and cordials including new strawberry and vanilla ready for tasting along with a drier rhubarb and ginger – rather more to my taste.
The highlight of the day though was a great chat with Rob Corbett of Castlewood Vineyard about the rise of English champagne – we loved the dry but complex rosé stemming from the Madeleine Angevine grape, and also hearing his views on how UK dairy farmers are not unhappy with some supermarkets, which do actually pay farmers fairly. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer all pay a reasonable £0.30 per litre – good to hear a man in the know who can provide a positive amid some of the more negative media attention surrounding supermarkets and milk prices.
Listening to well-practised band No Country for Old Men, we sampled some of the fish dishes from new start up Flippin’ Fish – only going as a pop-up for two months (although they have had a fresh fish shop for years). We had scrumptious sardines and rock salmon kebabs (had to look that up as it is definitely not salmon – in fact, it’s a type of small shark, usually spiny dogfish!) and think they have a great future.
Final conversations of the day – after watching little girls looking gorgeous in summer dresses, buying flower garlands in the Kitchen Garden – were with Bob of Quicke’s Traditional Cheeses – look out for him in a future issue of Dairy Innovation – and also the Big Bellys team and their delicious mini pies in a mouthwatering ten choices including crab, sea bass or foraged nettle pesto with roasted pine kernels.
A highly satisfying day but I cannot go without mentioning the conserves stall Bunnies Love – named after the wartime recipe for marmalade made using carrots – this was the prettiest stall going organised by Felicity and her Dorset Farm Shop, who could show anyone how to sell jam. And The Blueberry Brothers Nick and Toby Hewison with their blueberry beer, truffles and jams and a chutney that has just been listed by M&S.
If you want to see what’s new in good country food and have a relaxing day out, put a date in your diary for the River Cottage Summer Fair next year.
You can see a gallery of images from River Cottage’s Summer Fair here
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