Vittles (food & drink

By Dan Goater

newsdesk@westdorsetmag.co.uk Meat eaters in West Dorset are being urged to step outside of their comfort zone and try something a bit different at an open-air vegan market. There will be more than 45 stalls selling vegan food, clothing, jewellery and other products at the Dorchester Outdoor Vegan Market in Maumbury Rings on Sunday, May 8. Market organisers Sheila Biddlecombe and Dave Clark say it is the perfect place to come and try some vegan fare for the first time. Dave said: “Most of our visitors are usually non vegans who are curious about it and we’re here to show them that vegan food is very tasty and it’s not just all about salads. “All of our stall holders are really engaging and love meeting people. Our jewellery and clothing stall holders will help you understand everything about the fabrics they use and why. It’s fun and engaging and we’ve got a bouncy castle for the kids because we wanted this market to have more of a fete or festival kind of feeling.” Sheila and Dave have been running the vegan market three times a year since 2018. Following the outbreak of Covid, the market became an openair event as of 2020. Dave said: “I think a lot of people are still more comfortable attending events outdoors, so we’ve moved over to doing it this way. Our motivation for setting up the market is to try to protect animals and to show people that eating and living vegan is not as hard as they may think. “I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 17 – I’m now 55 and it’s only in recent years I became fully vegan.” The market will run on Sunday, May 8 from 10am to 4pm at Maumbury Rings and entry is free. n For more information visit Facebook and search for Dorchester Outdoor Vegan Market.

OUT IN THE OPEN: An open-air vegan market will be at Dorchester’s Maumbury Rings

Meet up at vegan market & try something different

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. Start the day with a good value brekkie

My grandmother would often say that “breakfast made the day well”, but she was prone to using charming anecdotes, such as telling us that ‘sitting too close to the TV would make us blind’ and ‘carrying an acorn around kept you young’! None of these made sense, or did they? Breakfast literally means, to break the ‘overnight fast’. Our bodies use night-time to replenish energy levels and repair, the food we have eaten throughout the day helps our systems to do just that. Breakfast is essential to kick start our metabolism and our brain and cogitative function. On Easter Monday, hubby and I decided to go for breakfast. With a surfeit of choice, we eventually chose The Club House at West Bexington. Art Deco in design this chalet restaurant is situated 100 yards from the beach, it was a no-brainer, its position clinched the deal. We have visited before, but not for breakfast. As the warmth of the sun dispersed any morning cloud, a fishing boat chugged its way along the coast, the soft purr of stones being moved around as the waves gently lapped at the beach; we marvelled at the stunning vista that is the vastness of Lyme Bay. Arriving as they opened, we were invited to sit ‘anywhere’ by a cheerful young lady who seemed totally in control. There was a buzz of calm competency, as they geared up for a busy day. The breakfast menu appeals to most tastes, as well as the traditional cooked breakfast there was the option of Crab Benedict or avocado on toast. The choice of an indulgent Brioche French toast with berry compote and vanilla Chantilly cream, was counterbalanced by a healthier option of a smoothie bowl. We opted for the traditional cooked breakfast. Savouring a tasty hot coffee, we didn’t have to wait long. Our cooked breakfast arrived on hot plates and looked most appealing. The two rashers of bacon had been char-grilled which was delicious and tender, a slice of quality black pudding, a chunky Sausage, hash brown, succulent vine tomatoes and a perfectly cooked golden yoked egg. One can order extras, such as toast but believe me this was substantial and good value. It was quality ingredients, well-cooked and well presented. Our breakfast certainly ‘made our day well’ and at about £13 per head, we agreed, for such a quality meal, this was good value. The setting is just a bonus.

TASTY: Breakfast at The Club House in West Bexington

Mum’s Kitchen...

Cheese and Spinach Pasta with Walnut Crumble Serves 4

Ingredients: 250g penne 1 leek, sliced 45g butter 45g plain flour 1 teaspoons ready-made English mustard Generous grating of nutmeg 500ml whole milk, plus a little extra milk to loosen sauce if necessary 175g extra mature Cheddar cheese, grated I slice of wholemeal bread cut in small cubes or made into coarse crumbs in the processor 45g walnut pieces 200g spinach

Method: Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan.

Boil the pasta with the leek for 10 minutes, then drain.

Melt the butter in a large pan, stir in the cornflour and cook gently for a minute or so before whisking in the milk a little at a time. Add mustard and nutmeg. Cook until bubbling and thickened, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and stir in two thirds of the cheese. Toss the remaining cheese with the bread and walnuts. Pour a kettle of boiling water over the spinach to wilt it, then squeeze out excess water. Stir it into the sauce with the pasta, leeks and season generously. You may need to loosen the sauce with a little milk, then tip into an ovenproof baking dish and scatter the bread mixture on the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

with Diana Holman

Lizzie Crow – AKA Lizzie Baking Bird – is a self taught baker, who has a stall outside her home in Upwey each Saturday. See her scrumptious eats at lizziebakingbird.co.uk or find lizzibakingbird on Instagram.

Don’t flap, Jack: Just change tack for chewy flapjacks

This chewy, buttery flapjack is slightly softer than usual because of the addition of fresh fruit. If you buy (or pick) your rhubarb when it is pink, the resulting flapjack will zing with colour - if your rhubarb is redder, it may not look so great but trust me, it will taste just dandy. You can use any flour here – even a gluten-free one. When it comes to the oats, I think the cheaper the better, to be truthful, but definitely don’t use jumbo oats.

Ingredients 400g rhubarb 340g light brown sugar 1 teaspoon mixed spice 450g porridge oats 210g plain flour 340g butter 100g golden syrup

Trim the rhubarb and cut it into 2cm pieces. Toss with 40g of the sugar and the mixed spice. Leave to macerate until needed. Line a baking tin approximately 20x 0cm with baking parchment. Don’t use greaseproof as the flapjack will stick! Mix the oats, flour and remaining 300g sugar in a bowl. Put the butter and the syrup in a small pan on the hob (or you can use a microwave) and melt them together. Stir the melted butter and syrup into the oat mixture making sure that it’s combined. Line the tin with half of the oat mixture, loosely pressing it down. Add the rhubarb and spread across making sure that it evenly covers the base. Then add the final layer of oats, so that the rhubarb is fully covered. Try not to leave any pieces showing as these will ‘catch’ in the oven. Bake the flapjack for around 45 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin. When cold cut it into 10 pieces. Serve with a lovely cuppa.

n Lizzie bakes at her home in Upwey, Dorset. You will find her stall outside the house, or inside the pub The Old Ship Inn, every Saturday morning.

n Follow on instagram @lizzibakingbird or check out the blog on the website lizziebakingbird.co.uk