The Good Old English Cuppa'

Tucked away in the Tudor Arcade in Dorchester is a real hidden gem for all tea lovers - The Gilded Teapot. A truly independent tea and coffee specialist emporium, stocking over 130 different kinds of loose leaf teas, along with locally roasted coffees and all the paraphernalia to go with it! The shop can easily be found by following the smell of tea into the old tobacconists where you'll find Jo Davies at the helm! 


Since opening in 2010, The Gilded Teapot has gone from strength to strength, despite the recession, and now supply tea for local delis, two cafes and a brilliant farm shop ! They even met Theo Paphitis last week and have been nominated for Entrepreneur and Small Business Awards which they're awaiting the results for! (Good Luck Guys!). 


Their main business mission is to bring the finest loose teas from around the globe into our teapots - while diminishing the opinion that loose tea drinking is all part of an elitist club! Loose leaf is for everyone, and anyone whose been to The Gilded Teapot will have had the pleasure of experiencing the knowledge and passion that oozes from everyone who works there! 
A big thumbs up came from us when we learnt about the effort that goes into making sure everything is sourced ethically! They work with the Ethical Tea Partnership alongside some of the greatest fair trade and organic estates in the world  to bring and blend responsible tea. 
How do I cope without a teabag?! Don't worry, we thought the same, so we asked Jo herself - "Bags stop tea from doing that they do best - infusing! If it's quality of leaf and flavour you're looking for, then our loose leaves will always serve you well. Although it sounds like a messy option, it really isn't - we stock a wide range of infuser teapots that don't drip, along with all sorts of strainers to help you on your way!"

As well as some fantastic teas, they also have a sensational range of locally roasted double-award winning coffees, made at the Dorset Coffee Company in Dorchester, if that's more your thing :) 
The Gilded Teapot isn't just a one trick pony, they also stock a sensational range of locally roasted coffees from the Dorset Coffee Company and offer talks, tastings, wedding favours, cafe and restaurants supplies with training, as well as a take-away service! 


For more info please visit their website , follow them @TheGildedTeapot or subscribe to their new e-newsletter where you can find discounts on their tea-of-the-month starting soon!

5 Minutes with the Baking Birds!

We enjoyed a quick chat with the Baking Birds (aka Lizzie and Bekki) based in Upwey, Dorset!

Bakers start work notoriously early – when does the day begin for you and Lizzie?
Generally speaking our day starts at 6am – so it’s not too bad. We make our bread using a long fermentation method. The ferment is made the day before and left overnight to work its magic, then we make the dough in the morning so the bread is usually out by about 9.00am. During the summer season with all the food festivals it can be earlier, but hey – best part of the day and all that jazz.


All your baking looks delicious and so different – what are your best sellers/most popular? 
Thank you! Both of us have a very low boredom threshold and are very keen on seasonality, so our range changes fairly regularly. There are, however, a few constants such as our seeded Maltstar bread and the omnipresent chocolate brownie (which Purbeck are now using in their new Chocolate brownie flavour ice cream - mmm). A couple of newbies have, over the last few weeks, become popular, such as the filled savoury croissants, the apricot and fennel seed bread and the mixed game pasties.          


We love the idea that your ingredients are sourced locally and sound absolutely scrummy – how do you decide which suppliers to use?
Well proofs in the eating as they say, but joking aside it all comes down to quality, flavour and the fact that we live in a county with so many great producers. We are fortunate to be part of the Dorset Farmers Markets so we have met, and continue to meet, great people making awesome products at the markets. We are also very lucky in some cases – like we have a fantastic free range egg farm just down the road from the bakery. The provenance of the food that we eat I think is a growing concern to a growing number of people, so it’s important both to us and our customers that both the quality and the manner in which our ingredients are produced is spot on.


We apologise in advance for this one - how do you both stay so slim surrounded by so much yummy homebaking? Do you offer any healthier/ low calorie options – or is that just a silly idea!!?
Silly idea! Just yankin’ your chain. Well, for a start, we eat our food most days of the week. Not everything we make is sugar toting, butter laden work of the devil. There seems to be this fairly recent notion that bread is fattening, and to be honest everything is fattening if consumed in vast quantities! Bread is a great source of energy, and the wholegrain varieties we make are also a great source of fibre. An example of one of our bruschettas, for instance, is made using our bread, olive oil, pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, which I would actually describe as a very nutritious lunch. I don’t think we could make such claims for the brownie or sticky date cake, but a little bit of what you like does you good. Variety is the key – cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner won’t do you any good, but neither will eating low fat, cardboard, God knows whats in ‘em versions of perfectly good food.  Besides which, it’s incredibly boring to eat the same old thing day in day out.

What’s next for baking birds? (perhaps selling online, expanding outside catering, introducing new ranges etc?)

As ever – new ranges to keep ourselves, and our customers on their toes. There are also another couple of avenues that we will be exploring in the not so distant future, such as online sales though our website – brownie by post anyone? We have also had enquires about bread making courses, which is something we would like to explore further. Other than that, one day we would really like to scribble down how we make some of these crazy baked creations in a book.

We know you are at the Farmers Markets too - have you got any other events lined up?

Lots to keep us occupied over the coming months – Dorset knob throwing (no really), Melpash show, Bridport food festival, and Camp Bestival are among some of the events we will be attending this year. As always, we will be at Poundbury, Bridport, Sherborne and Dorchester Farmers Market, and we will also be holding an open day at the bakery in June to celebrate our first year at Windsbatch – check our website and Facebook page for further details.  


Windsbatch bakery at Friar Wadden Road is open 9.30am to 1.30pm and we can definitely recommend popping in!  

The wonderful Bekki and Lizzie are offering 10% off until the end of April. Just send them an email and quoting Loving Dorset and they'll send you a discount code! 

Spring Fashion

With spring in the air we find ourselves thinking  – our clothes are drab and we can’t find anything to wear.  Sound familiar?  Well, if like us your thoughts turn to clothes shopping, why not take a look at Yard, Clothing and Lifestyle at Poundbury, Dorchester- one of our absolute favourite places to shop! 

Walk into the Yard and you are met with a smile and an offer of a coffee – so you immediately relax and, even if you are in a rush, make yourself find the time to take a good look at all the gorgeous clothes, accessories and gifts. 

We took a sneak peak at their latest Spring range and while we were there asked for some tips on what we should be wearing as the evenings get lighter and the days hopefully warmer.

What’s the big fashion trend for Spring 2012? 

Spring summer 12 is all about brights, with the newest shades being lime,  royal and coral. Print is still important, as are 'easy to wear' naturals. Shirts and jackets have made a big return, and skinny jeans and chinos remain the firm favourites.  High summer is all about maxi, with the maxi skirts and palatso  pants, wear these with super high wedges and a skinny top.

4 Wardrobe Essentials

- Bright Skinny Jeans from Amazing Woman offer a perfect fit and come in royal, red or white £90

- A Silk Tee by french brand American Vintage is a must. My favourite is the lime green at £

- Maison Scotch Chino in Coral are a fantastic fit for £110

- A Cotton Shirt from Great Plains in rather ballerina or coral just £55


To help you update your wardrobe, we've secured an exclusive Loving Dorset discount for you to use. Just print off the voucher below and take into the store!

Join them on Facebook and Twitter too! 

Loving Life with Medusa Apothecary!

At Loving Dorset we wanted to introduce Medusa, established by Scott Duncan and Dean Newton, in 2006. We love their concept for the business - to bring 'city-based premium product ranges within reach of the West Country community' and re-introduce 'the sheer pampering and pleasurable experience of shopping'. In other words, treat ourselves to some luxurious goodies!!! 

Medusa Apothecary are relatively new to Dorset's historic country town Dorchester, but has quickly established a loyal following and clientele (us included) , thanks to its incredible range of sensational products and fun, friendly and skilled staff! 


We couldn't resist congratulating Medusa on their recent success! 


Firstly, they have been named 'Best for Health and Beauty' in the Telegraph Magazine's 'Best Small Shops in Britain Awards'. Mary Portas (Queen of Shops!) explained that "these awards give the cream of the crop the recognition they deserve" and from our point of view, that's the most important thing! The awards themselves were held at Novikov in Grosevnor Street...which the team said was "just wonderful, and the cocktails were flowing far too freely....hic!"

Secondly, they have pulled out all the stops to make a great success of The Moreton House Masked Ball - a great event organised by a committee of 10, headed by Liz Frampton-Hobbs (it is her husbands family's estate!) Scott Duncan from Medusa told us all about it...


Who should the thankyou's go to?
"Oh so many - the wonderful guests that made it such a fantastic night, the contributors without whom we would have had nothing to auction (they've all been so generous!), Rebecca Green and her team for the wonderful food, Sheila and Jim for the bar, The Frampton-Hobbs family for allowing us to use the fabulous space and for sharing their house, REN skincare who provided us with goodie bags (and some goodies to go in them!), and of course the rest of the committee who have given time and love to the project. A special mention must also go to Eleanor Gallia for helping to materialise our decorative vision. She is a true star!"


What was the highlight of the night for you?
"Seeing the ladies and gents on the bucking bronco...."


And most importantly, how much money was raised?
"Over £18,000. We expect the total to be between 18 and 20k. The main benefactor is Julias House"