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

Puzzle Pandemonium in Hope Square

We have recently discovered an ingenious new shop which we are very excited about. You can find the Jigsaw Shop in Brewers Quay, Hope Square, Weymouth. Run by Dave Evans, this business produces high quality bespoke hand cut wooden jigsaw puzzles from everyones favourite photographs, art prints or posters. All the products are hand made by Dave himself, who was trained and worked at the world famous Victory wooden jigsaw puzzle manufacturer, so you know you will be in good, and very skilled hands. This shop provides the perfect gifts for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and many more occasions. 
One speciality of Dave's is the wedding jigsaw. The idea is that each of the guests write on the back of a piece so the happy couple has a more interesting memory from the wonderful day. This is big in America but fairly new to Britain so you could be ahead of the trendand show your friends how much fun jigsaws can be. 
 
















Come and join us and buy your loved ones their most memorable present yet! Check them out at : The Jigsaw Shop (www.jigsawfilms.me)

Angel Additions - Beautiful Accessories

Earlier this year we visited a little craft fair in Lyndhurst in the New Forest where we came across a wonderful lady selling a range of beautiful jewellery. Her range, Angel Additions,  specialises in accessories that adorn the mind, body and spirit. They are the only authorised worldwide stockist of crystals charged by Judy Hall. Just has charged some of the crystals that they have available to buy, many of which are from her own private collection. After looking on her website, I particularly love this one:

While at the Craft Fair, I did buy this one, which at the time I claimed was 'for a friend's birthday' but I did end up keeping it! It's one from her range of Tibetan Silver Jewellery:

Angel Additions products are available to buy from various craft fairs and on their Groovy Cart page

A Catch up with Dorset Newbie, Gina!

Dorset does have a real arts-y feel to it, what with Dorset Arts Festival, and who can forget the never ending beautiful scenery and landscapes that make artists and photographers weak at the knees! So we couldn't blame Gina for heading to Dorset to embrace her inner-art! 
Gina works under the name Zuleikha's Art, named after her daughter, with her work varying from land seascapes and floral displays. 
Since moving to Dorset, Gina is planning to exhibit and sell in local galleries and craft boutiques, which includes a new online craft event 'Craftfest' with whom she will be listing work and selling prints! 

Zuleikha's Art comes in all shapes and sizes including bookmarks, greetings cards, silk painting, quilling, various sized paintings and watercolours, and more interestingly, aceos. "I create aceos which are miniature works of art, measuring 2.5 by 3.5 inches (small I know but really popular for those who do not have the wall space or budget to collect large works of art but still love art none the less.)" she said. 
If you want to find out a bit more about Zuleikha's Art, you can visit her website, or follow her journey via her blog. In the meantime, we'll leave Gina to get arty, as she's itching to get creative on her new surroundings - and can you blame her?! 

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

Seafood bringing people together - Dorset Seafood Festival 2012

The Dorset Seafood Festival is over for another year, 2012 has been our favourite to date. The festival ran over the weekend, Saturday 7th July and Sunday 8th July and took place in two locations; Trinity Street and  Custom House Quay. A huge thanks to everyone involved for making it such a special day. 

There were over 80 stalls, celebrity chefs and the amazing seafood made right on our doorsteps. Some of the fun activities included a fish auction, experiencing Pommery Champagne, watching Lesley Waters (famous TV Chef), and many more. 

This fabulous event not only provides you with a fun day out, but also raises money for The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen.  It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone:

Even though it has now ended, Weymouth Harbour is still home to some great restaurants, so a visit at any time of the year will provide ample opportunity to sample the wonderful Dorset Seafood that this area can offer. 

Mallams Reveal New Menu

Loving Dorset couldn’t resist paying a visit to Mallams on the harbourside in Weymouth when we heard Steve and Janice had launched their new menu.

Steve and Janice Gosson have owned Mallams since 1990, they planned to run the restaurant for just 5 years but lucky for us they are still there serving delicious food and fine wines.  Hard to believe in this age of farmers markets and sourcing local produce but back then they were pioneers.  The husband and wife team have always been passionate about supporting local suppliers, putting valuable time and effort into bringing their diners the very best Dorset has to offer.  Needless to say this has won them a broad base of loyal local guests plus many visitors from out of town, seeking them out time and time again when they are in the area – many of whom have become friends.

Steve trained for a career in the catering industry at what is now Brookes University in Oxford – he completed his training in Switzerland before returning to England.  Janice started out in retail management but for a long time now now their passion is food and they say they never lose interest in it or stop learning about it.

Back to the new menu

The full menu can be found here: http://www.mallamsrestaurant.co.uk/menu/ and these are a few of our favourite dishes (which we’ve sampled and can highly recommend. These dishes also form part of the fixed price menu. 2 COURSES £24.95 inc VAT)

We loved...

Starter - Local Portland crab and sweet apple topped with chilli crème frâiche served with dressed leaves.

Main course - Rack of English lamb served with a potato and red onion rösti, a purée of butterbean, garlic and rosemary with a port and redcurrant sauce.

Sweet - Bakewell Tart flavoured crème brulée.

A special new addition not to missed on the wine list is a wine from Dorchester Wine Vineyard!

What are you waiting for?  – Weddings, birthdays, family get togethers and celebrations, business meetings or just out to have a great meal. Janice and Steve are looking forward to seeing you.

Mallams Restaurant

5 Trinity Road,
The Harbour, Weymouth,
Dorset, DT4 8TJ.

Telephone:            01305 776757

E-mail: enquiries@mallamsrestaurant.co.uk

www.mallamsrestaurant.co.uk