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ProfilesYou are in: Dorset > People > Profiles > A taste of Dorset  A taste of DorsetDorset is reknowned for its farm-grown food. Despite supermarkets shipping in packaged food from around the world, there's a still a flourishing demand for local produce - made by a new generation making the most of Dorset's culinary traditions. Dorset's farming community has had a lot to cope with over the last few years - Foot and Mouth, low prices and falling incomes. While some long term pressures still remain, a new generation of farmers have turned their businesses into 21st century 'cottage industries'. From biscuit makers to bakers, soup-making to sausages, there's plenty on offer feeding the appetite for Dorset grub. One of the success stories has been the Dorset Blue Soup company. Run by Emily Davis from her family's farm in Sturminster Newton, they make soup out of an old family blue cheese recipe. Emily explained how it came about: "I was going round markets raising the profile of the cheese but I'd be frustrated that I'd come back with small lumps of leftover cheese, and thinking 'what am I going to do with these?'.  I had a hairbrained idea that I'd start to make soup, and here we are a few years down the line producing a range of genuinely homemade soup made with our own cheese and wherever we can, sourcing our ingredients locally. "There was a lot of experimentation, a bit went down the drain, but when we were working on new recipes I would go to Farmers' Markets and give them away and ask what people thought of them to get an honest opinion."  Ed Found The young generation of farmers 'adding value' to their produce is something which TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall describes as: "fantastic". He linked up with the Blue Soup company to launch a range under the River Cottage brand: "There is so much innovation and passion from small producers who are genuinely concerned about tradition, quality and not just mass production and turning a profit." Economically viable?But can good intentions and traditional methods be economically viable, compared to the low costs of the supermarkets. Many of the local producers don't see themselves in competition with the supermarkets and instead concentrate on selling direct to a loyal band of customers though farmers markets and independently owned shops.  Products from Dorset Cider and Honey Co Ed Found launched Wyndham's Delicatessens in Poundbury at the end of 2003 as an outlet for the locally produced food and drink: "Dorset is incredibly fortunate in the amount of really good food producers it's got. The shop is going going really well, we're aiming to combine good local food with general deli food from all over Europe – but we really aim to promote local food as compared to the competition, Dorset food can really stand up on its own two feet." But it's not just younger generations who are jumping at the new opportunities. Harry Castle and his wife have been producing honey and preserves on their farm between Charmouth and Bridport. And in the last 15 years they have restored equipment to brew cider using methods dating back to the 1600s: "It's got a unique flavour although every barrel is a bit different. You should take cider in moderation, I’ve taken it all my life as a medicine – and it hasn’t done me any harm!” He thinks the food scares of recent years has fed an increase in demand for organic and high quality products and it is something the producers are keen to cash in on: "We're finding people are demanding locally produced food, especially without chemicals – customers buy our cider for that reason." last updated: 03/04/2008 at 14:35 Have Your SayIs locally produced food better and is it worth paying more? Have you changed your food-buying habits recently? What do you think about Dorset food? Jill Williams Valerie D R.Seligman isabelle wiehle julia apps MR A MILES MR A MILES Karen Venn Louise Davenport michael rowe Moyra Gregory sara hall Sara Gay ian simpson |
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