The Dining Room - Distinguished Dining for All!

Come along to The Dining Room in Weymouth centre. We first heard of this excellent restaurant through Twitter and saw them at the Dorset Sea Food Festival and Wessex Food Festival,  which we all loved! So we know they have a good taste in events but what about their culinary skills?

Well if being a finalist in the 'Best Restaurant' category in the Taste of Dorset Awards 2012 doesn't convince you, then maybe popping along to taste their fine blend of culinary styles might. Their menu has been influenced by Arabic, Far Eastern and Modern European cuisine and is one of the most unique dining experiences in Weymouth. 

The Dining Room also do culinary classes for all abilities. There is a basic course for beginners, including knife skills, simple ingredient knowledge and sample dishes like fresh fish pies or delectable desserts. You could also attend an advanced class for the accomplished cook that would like to learn a few tricks! How does a Chicken ballontine with oregano rosti, lemon and sage butter sauce sound? Classes start from £70 a person and are well worth the effort. 

To Book call 01305 783008. Or email them at: info@thediningroomweymouth.co.uk.



For divine food visit them at The Dining Room Restaurant, 67 St Mary Street, Weymouth
or follow them on facebook and twitter. If you still don't believe me, here's someone else who has experienced it first hand:

'The food’s incredible, the wine’s wonderful and the staff are amazing. Weymouth has been waiting for a restaurant like this!' - Carole Malone

Come down and see for yourself... The Dining Room

Foraging Fun at Summer Lodge

I experienced one of the most relaxing and interesting mornings ever on Saturday and I just have to share it with you.  John Wright, professional forager, author and presenter took me along with a small group to Kingcombe Meadows in Dorset for a hedgerow mushroom forage.  I live in a village and regularly walk my dog across the fields but John has opened my eyes to a whole new world of country life which I didn't know existed.  


The event was organised by Kevin Reid and his team at Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Evershot where we assembled at 9.15 on a bright and sunny October morning.   A little apprehensive and not knowing what to expect I kept relatively quiet, for me, and waited to see how the morning would unfold.  Well, what a great bunch of people.  A couple from Hampshire, who had booked a weekend at the Hotel looking for something completely different to do, a journalist, a doctor, a lovely family from Bournemouth,  a local couple who had recently moved to Dorset keen to familiarise themselves with the area, Kevin, John and me.

Our stroll around Kincombe Meadows revealed at least 30 different species of mushroom - I wasn't there for the final count later in the day but I now know there are thousands to be found.  Many harmless and edible and several deadly and poisonous.  All fascinating and in many cases beautiful.  While the experience has opened my eyes to what lies beneath our feet and in nooks and crannies of the great outdoors I'm not about to start foraging for mushrooms to eat without John or one of his fellow experts at my side!  The morning was perfectly rounded off with a Wild Mushroom Risotto at The Acorn Inn, Evershot.  Which was absolutely delicious!

The afternoon involved a 'show and tell' with John about the varieties found throughout the day, which included over 47! 2 more couples joined at this point who has booked especially for the forage (as well as the delightful Mushroom Dinner Menu!)

If you are interested in find out more about foraging packages and other countryside pursuit events and weekends at Summer Lodge please get in touch with Kevin Reid and his team - www.summerlodgehotel.co.uk

The Premier Weymouth Food Festival is on its way!

The first ever Wessex Food Festival is on its way in September this year! They already have over 40 amazing local food and drink producers booked to attend the show and more are coming on board every minute. They anticipate having over 60 stall holders at the Festival selling some of the finest produce the region has to offer.

The Festival is taking place at Weymouth's Pavilion Complex over the weekend of 15-16th of September, and will be open from 10am - 5pm both days. During the course of the weekend there will be live cookery and wine tasting demos by some brilliant local chefs and experts, as well as lots of other fun activities.

This year they have decided to raise money for the Purbeck Isle Memorial Fund, to help the families of 3 local fishermen that were lost off the coast of Portland in May. 10% of the entry fee takings will be going to the fund and there will be collection points at the festival for people to make donations.

The entry fees are:

• £2.50 for adults
• £2.00 for concessions, 
• Children (under 16) get in for FREE!

It's a great cause so I hope to see you all there enjoying some wonderful local Dorset produce! For any more info, check out their website