Events

MARKET KNOWLEDGE

Jessica Rowlands, Jessica’s Cakes & Bakes

Welcome to The Sherborne Market! What brings you here?

Sherborne Market has such a great buzz – even in the current climate. I love the community feel and being part of such a fast-paced, busy market with so many other amazing small businesses.

Where have you travelled from?

I am based in Yeovil, Somerset – soon to be opening a shop on Princes Street in the town centre.

Tell us about what you’re selling?

We create bespoke, buttercream cakes for every occasion as well as smaller treats such as graze boxes, my best selling deep-dish, loaded cookies, rich gooey chocolate brownies, cupcakes and so much more!

Where and when did it all begin?

I’ve always had a passion for cooking and baking from a young age. Jessica’s Cakes & Bakes began 5 years ago, on Easter weekend, when I baked lots of treats for friends and family and delivered to the doorstep. Fast forward 5 years, I own a converted horse-box called The Little Treat Box, and now my shop The Little Treat Shop ... safe to say, it’s been a crazy few years!

What do you enjoy most about selling at markets?

I absolutely love seeing lots of familiar and new faces popping out to support me and all the other amazing small business that attend the Sherborne Market. I’m so so grateful for the following I have and the amazing feedback I get from being out in The Little Treat Box.

If you get the chance, which fellow stallholders here at Sherborne would you like to visit?

There are soooo many, but if I had to choose a few it would be Baby Steps, Hint of Home, Bee Floral and of course, the food stalls.

Where can people find you on market day?

My pitch is on Digby Road, opposite Tamburinos. Look for the flowers and balloons – you can’t miss me!

PURSUITS OF HAPPINESS

Alan Lyons, Head of Shows, Bath & West

One of the positive things to come out of the pandemic was the yearning amongst many for a simpler life – to be surrounded by greenery and get back to nature. Many country pursuits, which have been practised in the South West for generations, have become of interest again, partly because of this and also because of the increase in ‘historical’ TV series such as Poldark and Downton Abbey in recent years.

The art of falconry, for example, has been around for thousands of years, and it is thought that it reached the British Isles in AD 860. Although it is widely believed that the sport was restricted to the upper classes, their lives were recorded more than the lower classes, so, it may be a matter of documentation rather than fact.

Today, UK falconers only fly captive bred birds of prey, and although there are opponents of keeping any wild animals captive, there are many advantages. Firstly, captive birds of prey live much longer (20-30 years, whereas in the wild only 1 in 3 will live beyond a year). Secondly, by working with captive birds we can understand the hunting styles, diets, nesting, breeding and territorial behaviours of their wild cousins in much greater detail, along with body language and behaviour. This knowledge can then be applied to conservation and rehabilitation efforts, as falconers can prepare wild birds successfully for re-release. >

Falconers are also responsible for restoring part of the eco-system in the British Isles, through the recolonisation of the goshawk. This magnificent creature was almost wiped out by persecution and deforestation during the late 19th century but, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, falconers who were importing European goshawks for falconry began to release some into the wild. Over the following decades the wild population of goshawks has grown here.

Another ancient country sport is wildfowling, the pursuit of mainly wild geese and ducks, often on estuaries and coastal marshes. Wildfowling has taken place ever since people first inhabited the fringes of the North Sea and is primarily a solitary sport for the hardy amongst us, as it requires considerable stamina and patience during the winter months in wet, muddy and cold conditions.

The birds are mostly migrants from the Arctic Circle, Scandinavia and the Low Countries who arrive in the autumn before returning to their breeding grounds in the spring. Their habits are governed by tide, wind, weather and the moon, so, in years gone by, hunters would have developed an in-depth knowledge of these factors. Generally, geese fly to their feeding grounds at daybreak and return to roost far out on the mudflats at dusk. Ducks usually come in at dusk to feed and spend the night on the pools, returning to the mudflats at dawn.

In earlier centuries people would have tried every means to secure these wildfowl for food during the lean winter months. The early wildfowlers would not have had guns or gunpowder, instead using snares and nets to entrap the fowl.

Coming back to the present day and moving away from feathered creatures to those with four paws, during lockdown we all heard numerous stories about the rise of ‘lockdown puppies’. These dogs were bought when their owners were either furloughed or working from home, and therefore had the time to spend with them. Indeed, you may have one yourself! But now, these dogs are fully grown, and many of their owners are returning to work, so the dogs are spending a great deal of time alone. Training them, therefore, is vitally important if you are to have a happy pet for years to come.

The vast majority of dogs are designed for work, so if you are thinking of buying a dog, do firstly look into the breed – research it. What is the dog bred to do? Can you give that dog the work it requires? How much exercise does that dog need? Does that dog need just as much mental stimulation as exercise? Imagine being totally reliant on one person or one family for everything – that’s your dog. Ask yourself, can you put the time in that your dog deserves?

Having a dog that is well trained and easy to manage in everyday life means you will get more pleasure from dog ownership, and as a result you will have a better bond with your dog. Dog training will teach your dog basic skills from sit, lie down, recalls, loose lead walking, socialisation and much more. This will in turn make your dog easier to control and give them more freedom to be off-lead, taken to different places and cope in different situations, such as other homes, visiting the vet and even going to the pub! If your dog is well trained and gets the work it needs, it will make for a better and more relaxed dog in the home too.

Everyday walking and training sessions are also beneficial for the owners. You get out and get your daily exercise whatever the weather, and get to meet like-minded people too. Remember - If you don’t give a dog a job, it may go self-employed!

"By working with captive birds we can understand the hunting styles, diets, nesting, breeding and territorial behaviours of their wild cousins."

bathandwest.com

___________________________________________ Friday 27th - Sunday 29th August Bath & West Country Festival 2021 The Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QN Three days of action-packed events for all the family and a haven for all enthusiasts of rural life. Activities, demonstrations and entertainment; including falconry, country skills and dog training, plus fast-paced excitement in the Main Ring and a much-enhanced food hall experience. Tickets are available at bathandwest.com/tickets