At last we get to celebrate our 10th anniversary with a celebration of…..you guessed it…. the chilli!

If you’ve been before you’ll know that we are a top-notch food festival with loads of stalls for the chilli-hater. After all, we know we have to look after everyone. But if you’re coming for the chilli, we’ve got the lot. Hot sauces and mild sauces, chilli jams, pickles and chutneys, chilli cider, chilli fudge, chilli chocolate, chilli cheese, chilli mustard, chilli relish, chilli plants, chilli seeds, chilli ceramics, chilli talks, plus bands, beer tent, cooking demonstrations, bouncy castle.

Check out the website for details.

greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk

How did you come about setting up a craft brewery? 

“I came about setting up a craft brewery following an inspirational trip to New Zealand where the craft beer industry is thriving; I wanted to bring that buzz back to the UK. After a personal life-changing experience, I decided that no better time than the present was set up this new venture. I moved to Dorset in 2012 with my new partner Jane and Wriggle started its amazing journey from there.” 

Where did your interest in beer and brewing come from and why did you decide to be a small batch brewery? 

“I have always made things, be it jam, home-brewed beer or wine. Having worked in the creative industry for many years as a photographer, I felt that brewing beer was an extension of that. Something highly creative and rewarding, and also associated with my love of nature.  

With beer making, you are working with natural products, and if you show respect and empathy for the wonderful things you are using, you will be rewarded. I truly believe that. It’s about having respect for nature.” 

What are the advantages to small batch brewing? 

“I started brewing in my garage in late 2014 on a very small brewing kit, which I still use in my premises in Stalbridge. Brewing in small batches enables me to experiment more readily without too much risk. Incredibly, all the beer I have made has worked out. I did go on a couple of brewing courses for a week and have also read countless books and watched endless YouTube videos.” 

Based in North Dorset, not necessarily known for its hops production, where and how do you source your ingredients to create your beers? 

“Ingredients for the beer are all bought from the UK, although some of the hops originate elsewhere, mainly the US and New Zealand.  

Different hops have different characteristics, which brewers utilise depending on the style of beer they are trying to make. 

All our malt come from Warminster, a traditional floor maltster. The quality of their malt is outstanding. A bit pricey maybe, but you get what you pay for in this life, and apart from anything else, they are lovely people. 

Our yeasts are all dried and ready for use. This gives us a great degree of consistency that might be difficult to achieve by harvesting yeast on a batch-to-batch basis. The strain of the yeast can become mutated very easily and I don’t feel confident to do it without problems.” 

How do your beers reflect the surroundings you create them in? 

“I think working and living in Dorset makes me feel good. It’s a great place and being surrounded by nature is inspiration in itself for making beer. As I said earlier, having empathy and respect for the natural ingredients you are working with helps. It’s a ‘nature thing’. 

Do you think the interest in craft beer will continue and how do you think more rural areas, particularly the South West, will respond to this ‘trend’? 

“I think the craft beer boom will continue for some time yet. The multitude of small brewers, of which there are many in the South West, is testimony to the fact that there is a big demand for new and interesting beers. 

I think the biggest danger to this industry is our Government. The almost ludicrous levels of taxation imposed upon us all is bad for business. I say this even though small brewers get a 50% rate relief in ‘Beer Duty’. I would say that if this was removed, you would see a total collapse of small breweries up and down the country, therefore, it has never been so important to support our regions small batch brewers.”

www.wrigglevalleybrewery.co.uk

The garden is host to an array of vegetables, including a selection of beans…  

“When people think of beans, they imagine green beans, runner beans and maybe broad beans. At Symondsbury Estate, we grow beans that many people haven’t heard of, including the Mangetout Shiraz bean, which has only been available to gardeners for less than a decade.  

We like to explore different vegetables to see what works and what doesn’t. When it comes to beans, we enjoy choosing unusual varieties. Each bean differs in flavour, and guests love seeing and tasting something different.  

When we plant our beans, we often begin sowing inside our greenhouse. We tend to do this in May or June; the prime time for growing beans. Inside the greenhouse, the beans are protected from pests, such as slugs.  

Once the plants have grown large enough, where the beans are no longer near the ground, we plant them in soil in the garden.  

My favourite beans to plant are the Kinghorn Wax bean and the Mangetout Shiraz bean. These differ greatly from your average bean; they are bright in colour and contrast the leaves, making picking time a lot easier. 

The Kinghorn Wax bean is bright yellow in colour and the Shiraz bean is a deep purple, the same colour as the Shiraz wine, except this won’t get you drunk.”  

“The term craft seems to be everywhere these days; attributed to beers first and now to spirits with a key focus on gin. But how do we know if a gin is a ‘craft gin’ and is there any reason to buy one of these instead of a big name brand?  

The term ‘craft gin’ can be attributed to Sam, Fairfax and Jared, the creators and producers of Sipsmith Gin. They took the idea from when they were working for Fullers and launching London Pride in the US. Here they saw the craft beer movement; lots of small-scale breweries creating a truly artisan product that garnered the interest of drinkers and swayed them away from the big traditional US brewers.  

The Sipsmith chaps came up with the idea of recreating this in the UK with our quintessential spirit, gin, to create the first copper distillery in London for 200 years; the last distiller being the global giant Beefeater. It was a tricky process getting started as the production size was considered so small by the outdated laws that it was on par with bootlegging. After many years of back and forth, they used the example of whiskey stills, much smaller scale, and eventually got their first still ‘Prudence’ warmed up and producing.  

Sipsmith getting their license was a breakthrough and not long after small-scale distilleries were popping up all over the UK. They now number in the hundreds, but are they all good?  

The answer simply is, no. Distilling is a science, you can’t simply chuck together botanicals and expect them to sing in harmony. There are so many variables: when were they picked; how does the flavor change when they are dried; how does the flavor change when they are distilled; does one work with another? Some big producers will also simply take their base spirit and infuse with a flavour such as raspberry; hardly worth the extra £15.  

Speaking of cost, we must remember that around £8 of a 70cl bottle is duty, so when you see a large-scale producer making one around the £10 mark, you must question the costs involved for the glass, production and profit, leaving you wondering what is the quality of the base spirit.  

When it comes to the base, gin can be made of many things, including grain, barley and wheat, but also sugar beet and less favourable ingredients. The gins below plus Morrish and Banham’s selection all use a good quality British wheat base, have well-chosen botanicals that complement each other without one dominating and are produced in a copper pot still by true distillers who care about the product. The following gins also have a smaller ‘body’; when distilling the first and last liquid that runs through, known as the ‘heads’ and ‘tails’, these are essentially the waste from the gin, methylated and full of sulphur and should be disposed of, however, not all distillers do so as this is all taxable product.  

Pothecary  

Lukasz and Martin have created a thoroughly unique gin, bringing together lavender, mulberries and tilia flowers. It’s perfumed and deep flavored, and you can find it in on the cocktail list of the capitals top bars. 

Lilliput Dorset Gin 

For me, this is my Sunday gin. Andy Woodfield has created a unique Mediterranean-style gin with rosemary, thyme, basil and olives alongside the best juniper you can get, fantastic in a Red Snapper.  

All of these can be enjoyed while learning more about gin and sipping on a cocktail at either of the Dark Bear bars, found at Bridport or Lyme Regis, where Lloyd Brown and David Smith host tasting sessions. 

From the drinks cabinet… 

With South West gins on the rise, we asked Mark Banham of Dorset-based wine and spirit merchants, Morrish & Banham, what gins he’s sipping this summer. 

Fordington Gin, Dorchester, Dorset 

£36.99 

Fordington Gin is made in Dorchester around the old village of Fordington. It is handcrafted in small batches using nine botanicals, including wormwood, lemon balm, mint and aniseed. We recommend serving with Fever Tree Original, a wedge of grapefruit and a sprig of basil. 

Salcombe Gin, Salcombe, Devon 

£36.99 

Made right beside the water on the estuary, Salcombe Gin is a delicious product. A single-batch gin is created from a 450 litre copper pot, still using fragrant botanicals, such as juniper, coriander seed, cubeb, grapefruit and lime. A broad and enticing flavour, try with a splash of sweet vermouth to create a Devon Negroni. 

Conker Gin, Southbourne, Dorset 

£36.99 

Rupert and the team fashioned this Dorset dry gin from elderberry, gorse flower and samphire. Clean and fresh with a wonderful citrus flavour it is perfect with a shot of Prosecco and their house-made ginger, lemongrass and black pepper syrup! 

Keep it simple 

Make up a little form for each person with the beer name. Add some simple tick boxes for a quick ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ review, and space for them to describe the flavour profiles and characteristics. Using the description on the back of the bottles, categorise the beer your guests bring along so you can do a direct comparison between your beers. Keep some basic notes as if there are quite a few beers to sample it’s easy to lose track. 

Choose a theme  

Within your theme, ask each person to bring an example of a light or pale ale, a tawny (medium) and a black stout-style beer. Suggest they not only bring their own favourite, but to look for something new or different as the aim is to try something they may never have had before; who knows, they might surprise themselves with a new favourite.  

Some may want to taste blind, but it’s also nice to be able to see the label. Very often the labels can be part of the overall experience as many of them can be unusual. Some of these unusual labels might even be indicative of some more unusual ingredients, but you can always read the labels and compare ingredients after you have tasted. 

Prepare your glassware 

Stay away from plastic cups, it might be more convenient, but you won’t get the full experience this way, so do it properly! Suggest people find an example of a craft beer glass, there are lots of styles and shapes to choose from and these can change the way you see and taste your beer. For example, a bowl-shaped glass will hold the aroma in the top of the beer.  

Your glass choice can change the appearance, aroma and perception of how it tastes; whether it’s a pilsner style, bowl shape or tankard, find something different to complete the experience. 

Serving 

Temperature is absolutely key for serving your beers. Lagers and pilsners are best served very cold, the same with American IPA-style beers. British beers, bitters and stouts are best served cool, but not cold. Imagine that a beer cellar would be kept at around 12C, so to replicate this, try putting the bottles in the fridge just 15 to 30 minutes before you serve (depending on how many you have) or pop them in a bucket of cold water, which could be easier if you’re outside. 

Tilt the glass to 45 degrees and pour the beer gently down the side of the glass to avoid lots of foam, especially with gassy beers. Don’t completely up-end the bottle; this also important for bottle-conditioned beers as there may be yeast and sediment in the bottom of the bottle which can create a cloudier finish. On the continent they like to do the opposite as they feel that the yeast adds different elements to the flavour. However, we Brits typically tend to prefer a clearer finished beer. 

Rank the beer 

Get your friends to score 1 to 5 on appearance, aroma and mouth feel (the way it feels in your mouth as you’re drinking it; i.e., is it smooth or dry etc.). A smooth mouth feel usually relates to fuller-bodied and slightly sweeter styles of beer, whereas the dryer mouth feel would usually relate to hoppier and more bitter flavoured beers. Total up the scores to find out the favourite in each category and if you like, even announce an overall winner. 

TOP TIP: Don’t forget ambient aromas; for example, BBQ cooking smells will heavily affect the way you taste the beer. If you’re cooking or eating something spicy or strong in flavour it will also change the way you taste the beer. 

www.wrigglevalleybrewery.co.uk/

As consumer interest continues to grow concerning provenance, seasonality and growing conditions of produce, it is no surprise to see more and more kitchen gardens flourishing in the South West. Not without the nurturing green fingers of knowledgeable gardeners and enthusiastic chefs supporting this positive movement however.  

Opening their cafe at Manor Yard just over 5 years ago, Symondsbury Estate were sure from the start that they wanted to provide hungry customers a menu bursting with their own ingredients, influenced and driven by the flavours, colours and textures of each season. Taking it one step further, it was also determined that all the food to come out of their kitchen was to be chemical free and ultimately full of flavour – something only to be achieved through the dedication of a committed garden team that would work closely with the creative chefs to bring the seasonal offerings to life at the table. 

Maintaining the vegetable garden as chemical free as possible is an integral part of the growing process for gardener Mel: “After a few years we have come to realise what works and what doesn’t – especially when it comes to potential pests. In order to tackle these pests we use biological controls that are more environmentally friendly. This keeps us from using harmful chemicals such as pesticides and it’s quite amazing how this enhances the flavour of what we grow too”. 

Deciding to concentrate on a small, yet carefully crafted menu that represents each season, Symondsbury Kitchen have used their plentiful network of local producers from the beginning, along with a garden growing from strength to strength each year, offering customers dishes with the total confidence that they could trace every ingredient. The budding vegetable garden provides most of the cafe’s salad leaves, herbs, edible flowers and vegetables, all changing variety depending on the time of year, from winter greens to summer berries. 

Mel along with fellow gardener Kate and the Symondsbury garden team grow produce all year round, working carefully with the land, seasons and chefs to ensure that the wide variety of crops are planted at the correct time of the year to ensure their success. “It’s all about planting the right thing at the right time”, Kate says. “This is what makes the seasons exciting and plentiful, and the menu varied”. 

Not wanting to see anything go to waste, Symondsbury Estate also produce their own jams, jellies, chutneys and marmalades, sealing up the flavour of all their produce to be enjoyed out of season.  

“2018 is also an exciting year for our apples”, Kate adds. “There was once a neglected orchard that our team began to take care of and started making the most of the apples being grown from the trees. We have been carefully pruning the trees so we can encourage growth and begin to improve production for this year. An abundance of apples will be pressed from our own orchard into our Symondsbury Estate apple juice, which will be available to buy in Symondsbury Store and is also proudly served in the café”. 

As Spring is showing signs of soon returning, Symondsbury Kitchen is looking forward to another successful batch of ingredients and Mel thinks the vegetable patch is already looking promising: “Squash was very successful last year and it is showing no signs of slowing down this year. Since squash is very greedy when it comes to growing space, we decided to plant it up an archway. This consequently has saved growing room for other exciting varieties and also allows visitors to Symondsbury view the squash growing in all their glory!”. 

In an attempt to grow and buy locally, support the local economy and provide visitors with the best produce the estate could offer, Symondsbury Estate’s overall vision has always been “to provide low impact tourism, which takes advantage of the countryside, the nearby coast and provides opportunities for more employment in the local community”. And there’s us thinking that Symondsbury Kitchen was just another kitchen garden. 

Symondsbury Kitchen is open 7 days a week from 10am until 4pm.  

 10 reasons to grow your own & buy local: 

1. Chemical-free food offers benefits to the environment, local communities and public health. 
2. Reduces your carbon footprint. 
3. Local producers need to make a living. 
4. Locally grown food tastes and looks better. 
5. Improves the local economy. 
6. You get to know the people behind the product. 
7. More personalised service. 
8. By supporting local farmers today, you are helping to ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow. 
9. Local food preserves open space. When farmers get paid more for their products, they’re less likely to sell farmland for development. 
10. Local food supports local families. 

www.symondsburyestate.co.uk   

Deep, dark and deliciously fruity, this liqueur contains two blends of speciality beans that are cold brewed to retain their perfect acidity. Check out this twist on a classic espresso martini and enjoy the indulgent taste of tiramisu.  

What you will need 

• 50ml Conker Cold Brew 
• 25ml Absolute Vanilla Vodka 
• 25ml White Cacao syrup 
• Single cream 

Shake it up…

1. Shake the Conker Cold Brew, Vodka and Syrup with ice. 
2. Strain into a chilled martini glass. 
3. Float single cream on to the top of the drink using a spoon. 
4. Dust with cocoa powder to finish. 

www.conkerspirit.co.uk