Vittles

Vittles (food & drink) Valley vineyard up for sale at £1.2m

A vineyard in the Piddle Valley has gone on the market with an asking price of more than £1.2million. Muston Vineyard covers around 44 acres and includes around 30 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties. The grape varieties are in their sixth year of growth and are set to reach full maturity this season. A small harvest has been taken from the site for the last two seasons, producing fine English sparkling wine. Next to the vineyard is an area of pasture, which has previously been used for grazing livestock, sheltered by a small area of mature woodland. The pasture and woodland are approximately 11 acres in size. The land also comes with planning permission, which was granted in August 2020, to build a 10,000 sq ft agricultural building. Matilda Stent of Savills southern farm agency team said: “Nestled on a south east facing slope in the Piddle Valley, Muston Vineyard offers a very rare opportunity to purchase an established vineyard at the heart of rural Dorset. “The vineyard is close to the tourist hotspots of the West Dorset Heritage Coastline and the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and could lend itself to a wine tourism venture, subject to planning. “Muston Vineyard is situated in a rural yet accessible location, just one mile from the desirable Dorset village of Piddlehinton, with popular local pub The Thimble Inn, and five miles north east of the market town of

Dorchester.” Muston Vineyard is one mile from the village of Piddlehinton, and five miles from the county town of Dorchester. For more information, contact Matilda Stent at Savills on 07866 203463.

RAISE A GLASS: Muston Vineyard in the Piddle Valley has around 30 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes

The Poet Laureate

5 Pummery Square, Poundbury, DT1 3GW

01305 267000 poetlaureate.co.uk

Open Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm, FridaySaturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 11am-8pm Carvery on Sundays and theme nights in the week See facebook.com/thepoetpoundbury for details

Vittles (food & drink)

Karen Broad lives in Burton Bradstock, with her husband and two mad dogs. She ran The Mousetrap in Dorchester, has lived in France and loves discovering new food producers.

During a recent house clearance, a tatty box was tossed into the skip and in a rather undignified manner, out fell a book. Retrieving it, I dusted it down as I hate to see the destruction of any book – but cookery books... now that’s sacrilege! Bookshelves at home groan with an abundance of cookery books purchased over the years, of all varieties. But this one, as tatty as it was, it fuelled an interest. Titled Bestway Cookery Gift Book its cover worn and its spine bleached with time, dog-eared from use, was once a loved and well used cookery book. Inside I found numerous recipes cut from magazines and newspapers of the time, some dating back to 1942. The cuttings were faded and had been well used, splashes of food garnished the text, imprints of times past. Washed-out black and white images combined with charming painted pictures are a complete contrast to the colourful and sumptuous cookery books of today. In true Mr CholmondleyWarner style, one clipping begins: “The other day my luck was in, I managed to obtain a rabbit.” With food shortages and rationing during the Second World War people had to become inventive, stale bread was used in many recipes as was dried eggs, liquid gravy browning, ingredients we would probably turn our noses up at now. One recipe for a Fish Delight included oatmeal, potatoes, and fish paste. Not an iota of fish in sight! Propaganda slogans didn’t endorse waste. Flour, a staple ingredient, was coarse and grey in colour, scones were made to mop up gravy and bulk out any scant meal. The recipe below is a simple ‘summery’ recipe. Serve the scones with dollops of cream fraiche mixed with chives, and serve with a green salad – this fills any hungry tum. This recipe is the past meeting today’s issues as prices rise astronomically. Smoked salmon can be substituted with anything –even leftovers – and can be a side to any dish.

Smoked salmon and chive scones 225gm self-raising flour, ½ teaspoon salt and baking powder 150ml milk 1 egg Chives or spring onions Smoked salmon trimmings Method Tip flour and baking powder into a bowl Add chopped butter and rub together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs Mix in milk Add chopped chives and smoked salmon Knead briefly and form into a circle. Cut grooves (or cut individual scones) Beat the egg and brush over the tops of scones. Bake for 18-20 mins in a moderate oven.

CHIVE TALKING: Smoked salmon and chive scones Cheap and tasty recipe from past

Mum’s Kitchen... with Diana Holman

Baked Peaches with Amaretti crumble topping This easy to prepare summer dish serves four. Ingredients: 4 peaches, cut into halves 85g crunchy Amaretti biscuits, roughly broken up 25g light brown soft sugar 15g plain flour 40g butter, plus a bit extra to butter dish 1 orange – zest grated and juice squeezed Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan oven. Butter an oven-proof dish large enough to hold the peaches in one snug layer. Pour over the squeezed orange juice. Whizz up the Amaretti biscuits, sugar, flour butter and grated orange zest in a food processor to make a rough crumble and spoon over the peaches. Bake for 25minutes until golden.Cool for 10 minutes. Serve with Greek yoghurt or cream.

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