Chrimble - and the latter part of 2014!

Well once again it seems that time has positively zoomed by leaving me looking a little like a cack writer of blogs! K  I am somewhat ashamed that I haven't got round to posting since August, and I'm afraid I don't even have any kind of decent excuse.  So - enough of the self-flagellation.  What has been afoot?
I did some temping in the local city council offices, in the planning department.  I printed stuff out, I scanned stuff in.  Rather more scanning than printing and it had to be said - it was pretty dull.  It paid however, and that was the main thing.  Much nicer environment to work in than my last place too, which was nice. J Sadly it was just a 3 month contract so I'm now looking for something else after New Year.

Myself and a friend discovered a new cute micropub called the Pig & Pickle Taphouse, that opened this year in Exeter in an old post office.  This is the third pub owned by the proprietor of the original Fat Pig and Rusty Bike.  They have a microbrewery in the cellar of the Fat Pig (in the 2014 CAMRA Good Beer Guide no less) and you can now get their ales in any of their three pubs.  The Pig & Pickle is delightfully quirky, small and very friendly.  They also offer a whole plethora of different pickles, as the name suggests, that you can pick from to make up a platter to have with your pint.
The Doctor chap I was seeing is no more.  Wasn't for me as a long term thing so best to call it a day sooner rather than later.
I've also been cooking, baking, making some chrimbo bits and trying to sort out the vast amount of stuff I seem to own that is taking over the house!  I may have said it before but 2015 really needs to be the year of the life laundry I think.
For the Christmas period I've been back in Dorset with family, and visiting a few familiar haunts.
Studland beach, owned by the National Trust, is somewhere we've been going since I was tiny.  A beautiful long golden beach with protected heathland behind, it's great for a boxing day walk as well as a summer laze.  At the Knoll beach end where we start our walk you can see Old Harry's Rocks in the distance to the west.  Rather tiny in the background of this photo.  J (I know the horizon is wonky - frozen fingers!)

On the way back from Studland we stopped in the small village of Stoborough, just outside Wareham, and had a well deserved pint in The King Arms.  I had a chilli pickled egg too - very nice and suitably warming after our walk.  :-)

Well, this is a quick post just to reassure that I'm still alive out here!  I'm intending to get back to much more regular blogging in the new year, as soon as I get the damn internet in my house sorted out!

I hope you've all had a joyous and peaceful festive season.  All the best for 2015 from me and Zeke cat.  J

The Chap and I go to Dorset :-)

We had a weekend in Dorset a few weekends back.  We went to see the Brownsea Open Air Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  We also got to meet up with my mother and sisters, brother in law, aunt and uncle, 2 cousins and their other halves.  So there was a fair few of us!
After a late Friday night on Brownsea Island enjoying the open air Shakespeare and our 'posh' picnic (de riguer for these things) - although enjoying the mossies somewhat less, we started later than usual for our Saturday morning walk.  We drove west through Corfe Castle and on up along the ridge until we turned off for Worth Matravers.  This is a very pretty little village situated a mile or so from the coastal path and homing my favourite pub, the Square and Compass.  (Of which I have spoken before.)
On the walk we saw lots of insect life on the hills and cliff tops.  This is a Marbled White butterfly - I think a male.

There were lots of these flitting about the thistles growing through the long grasses.  Often in the past I've seen blue butterflies on these cliff tops but not today - perhaps a sad indicator of the changing nature in our countryside?
This is a moth rather than a butterfly but was showing itself off just as enthusiastically, and was just as welcome a sight.  This is the Six Spot Burnet - rather fab don't you think?

Later that day it absolutely threw it down, but thankfully after we'd had the customary pint and pasty at the pub.  :-)  It just wouldn't be the Worth Matravers experience without those!  

If you should find yourself in that region of Dorset do give it a look, it's a beautiful place.

(PS - apologies for the shortness and fairly insipid nature of this post - I still seem to be struggling to have time to write these things up.  We've had the Chap's son staying for the summer and he has somewhat monopolized the pc as his laptop gave up the first week he was down.  He has now returned home so hopefully autumn should prove bounteous in posts as well as produce though!)

It's been a while...

I haven't posted for ages!  Slack!  All I say is I plead busy-ness.  Got sent to Brighton for work last week for 3 days.  Nice to catch up with some work peeps I haven't seen for ages.  Blimey it was nippy though but at least the sun came out.

Also had a visit home to Dorset for Ma's birthday.  Had a little peek at big sis's allotment and a rather nice meal at The Thimble Inn in Piddlehinton.  A pub with it's own stream round the outside! 
Outside a different pub I spotted this.

I'm intrigued to know what 'pie' pie is I must say!
I'm looking forward to next week as I've booked it off work and have a list as long as at least both of my arms of things I want to get done round the house and in the garden.  Fingers crossed the rain holds off for a few of the days at least!

Caesar on the island

This years BOAT (Brownsea Open Air Theatre) offering was Julius Caesar, not a Shakespeare play I'd seen before.  For once we'd managed to assemble both sides aunt and uncle as well as both the big sis's and my bro in law.  We took the customary picnic (see last years trip here) over on the boat to the island, enjoying the views of Poole harbour and the crenellated cottages on the island on the way.
Upon alighting we were 'welcomed to Rome' and met again at the entry to the grassed area the stage is set up in.  This is a nice touch they haven't utilised before; although met with traditional English reserve, downcast eyes and shuffling feet from many of the boat passengers who were obviously somewhat startled to find they were having audience participation thrust upon them at this early stage of the proceedings!

We trailed off to our favoured spot and for once this year there were no skirmishing raids mounted by peacock attack teams on the goodies spread out.  My job this year was cheese [can't think why ;-)] and I assembled a nice selection of Quickes applewood smoked cheddar - don't let the 'smoked' appellation put you off.  This is about as far away from that plasticy smoked cheese from Europe as you can get.  It's done using their mature cheddar which is a lovely full flavoured cheese in it's own right and the smoking just adds that touch of difference.  I wouldn't consume masses in one go but as a change it's very good.  Little big sis really liked it though and ended up going off with what was left of the block!  Also along were 2 diffferent blues, one cornish [Tinners?] and one Devon - I think.  Have to admit I need to check which they were!  Then a block of the regular Quickes Cheddar too and some lovely brie.  [Incidentally has anyone ever come up with a fulfilling re-use for the wee wooden boxes camembert and brie come in?  Seems such a waste to just pitch them out...]  We had a fabulous picnic then went to watch the show.  I'm afraid the taking of photos is rather frowned upon in the auditorium so I don't have any for you.  Suffice to say it was very good with plenty of blood and fight scenes which were very well choreographed.  The costumes and special effects really made it too.  Afterwards tired and happy we bundled back onto the boat to cross back over the harbour, agreed to meet up next day and took our seperate ways home to bed.  Except once back in the village we opened another bottle of wine...  :-)

A tussle - and a summer weekend

Still tussling with the 2nd part of our impromptu weekend post - not sure what's happening there but I will get it to work!!

In the meantime a little update on my last weekend which seemed quite quintessentially English summer to me.  I mentioned I would be in Dorset for at least the Saturday.  So - I caught the train on Saturday morning to Axminster and changed here to one of the Jurassic Coast buses - these take the long way round along the coast visiting all the little coastal villages and towns en route so they're not the quickest way to travel but I've never been on one before and it was a very pretty and relaxed way to see the countryside from the top deck of the bus.  We wended our way up and down valleys towards then away from the sea and passed through Uplyme, Lyme Regis (road full of people dancing with big colourful umbrellas - it was the Jazz Festival so we sat gridlocked there for a while) followed by Charmouth, Morecombelake, Chideock, Bridport (main road closed for an antiques fair), Winterbourne Abbas, Martinstown (great plant stall outside someone's house) and finally into Dorchester through Poundsbury at the top end.  Now these names are a litany from my childhood - guaranteed to spark all sorts of nostalgic and coming home type feelings so to be swaying along in the sunshine surrounded by the green of the beautiful countryside and the sparkling of the sea - well - it was truly great.  Plus of course you get to be extra nosy from the top deck of a bus.  I saw some great gardens and then in the window of a bungalow a toy bear the size of a, say, 10-12 year old child sat in an armchair gazing out.  Their lawn was massive and all grass - it was crying out for veg or even vines given the site but instead was this big featureless turf. Anyway - if people would rather spend hours mowing and scarifying etc than tend their own fresh veg that's their affair.  In Lyme Regis I spotted a shop that seemed to specialise just in roast meat sandwiches - mentioned this to the Chap and he seemed quite taken by the idea of a visit!

Anyway - having met with the folks in Dorch' we made our way to the New Inn at West Knighton.  It's a pretty place; surprisingly large but I think must have been a coach house originally going by this arch type bit into the yard. 

The food was lovely, generously portioned and good value for money.  I had the linguine which was on the specials board as coming with Chorizo, Crayfish tails and Chilli and asked if I could have it without the Chorizo.  This was no problem for them and they made up the difference with extra crayfish (or I assume so - there was certainly loads in there) and peppers and mushrooms.  It was tasty and filling and a testament to the friendly nature of this place.

Having supped and eaten our fill here we pootled back to Dorch and had a quick gander at big sis's allotment plot, stopped into the town centre so I could buy some Dorset Blue Vinney cheese at The Fridge deli then I clambered back aboard the bus for the journey home.

I managed to get one of the seats at the front on the way back - the windscreen was the site of a thousand insectile deaths but afforded a wonderful view.  It's warmer though as you're missing out on the cooling breeze further back from the open side light windows.  I got these views coming into Lyme Regis.  There were masses of holidaymakers at the stops here - I had no idea people still travelled this way so much.

There is one reason I gave up on bus and coach travel years back - the punctuality or lack thereof.  Now we were 20 minutes late into Dorch' due to various festivals and fairs as mentioned.  I was very much hoping this wouldn't occur on the return journey as I had 13 minutes time between the bus getting in and the train supposedly departing...  You've guessed it - we pulled up at Axminster station 2 minutes after my train was due to leave - with an hour before the next one was due.  Well -  bless the spirit of British Rail that still lives on in my train's 8 minute delay meaning I caught it and was soon headed back home to the Chap.

He met me off the train and off we went to a friends BBQ where I could sit down and relax; first having been presented with a glass of Pimms.  How British-summer is that?!

On the sunday we took a little wander down to the quay to see some of the dragon boat racing - this time I took a hat as I was a little pink from the day before in the sun!  We had a can or 2, dangled our feet over the water before heading back for an after-bbq bbq in the arvo to use up the leftovers from the day before.  Time spent well with good friends and family in the sun.  A thoroughly lovely weekend.     :-D

Speedy 'Hola'

We had a nice weekend both in Dorset and at the allotment. Beautifully sunny day and much digging yesterday has left me rather knackered today!
Over the weekend we had lunch in the Wise Man pub in West Stafford. Pretty little village and a lovely looking pub, nicely done up inside. It is a meat eaters menu though, very definitely. There was a total of one veggie and one fish choice on the main menu; and as the fish was battered I chose the veggie option of sweet potato and butternut squash Thai curry. Oh dear - it was quite hideously sweet. Now - I'm not an idiot so I know both the veg in this are naturally sweet and I also eat and actively like both of them. However the sauce this was done in tasted basically like apricot jam had been used to make it. I found it quite inedible I'm afraid. That was once I'd waited 10 minutes to even try my meal as the dish was supernova heat when it was brought out!!
The chap had a steak purporting to be medium-rare but which was a little overcooked on arrival. As his plate was also supernova it was a lot more overcooked looking once a few minutes had passed but he said it was nice. Ma and big sis had a pork, cider and apple casserole and aside from leaving a few larger lumps of apple on the side of the plate declared it very good. A mixed bag then. I did mention to the guy who collected the plates that I found the curry to be very sweet. 'Mentioned' you'll note, not complained. Anyway he came back and told me that the chef said that 'all Thai curries are sweet' said in a slightly bolshy 'you're an idiot' manner that I found pretty offensive. [I used to work in customer service and in fact used to be a manager so I do know what you do and don't act like to customers even if they're kicking right off, or downright lying or whatever. None of which I was doing.] This was a shame as otherwise, as previously mentioned, this was a nice pub sympathetically done up after a fire a few years back. Also - as a big afficionado of Thai Green curry [to the extent of keeping a jar of the paste at work] I take issue with being told all Thai curries are sweet. No they're bloody not. A lot of them have coconut in yes - that does not however equate to sweet. Anyway - if you're a meat eater you'd probably find something to tempt you here, personally I don't think we'll be returning though.
As for the rest of the weekend Chap fixed some leadwork on Ma's roof and took apart the old coal bunker, earning brownie points in the process I'm sure! We visited the Fridge, a very good deli in Dorchester and spent the best part of £20 [!] on cheese, medlar jelly and a jar of pickled walnut chutney!! [Very nice cheese though - of which more tomorrow.] We watched the home nation rugby games in the 6 nations - unfortunately missing Italy beat France for the first time ever [YAY!] as that's when we were lunching.
We also dug over more at the allotment [oh woe my broken fork - how I miss thee] and now I'm aching a wee bit. At least the sun came out and I could get my hands in the earth once again. :-D

Forage on the coast

As you'll know [if you've been paying attention :-p] we went traipsing on the Dorset coast at the weekend. Whilst there we foraged a couple of items to try once we'd returned home.

Whilst the Chap was poking around various caves in the cliffs (left from the quarrying that once took place in these parts for Purbeck stone) I came across an enclave of Sea Cabbage/Kale plants on the clifftop. Being cognisant of the fact that nationally this is a rareish species I took just 2 or 3 leaves from any one plant. It was good to see that there were a lot of these plants in this area, and I know they've been thriving on this coastline for years as I've been seeing them all my life. I was chastising myself for lack of preparedness as I emptied the top of my bag of camera, purse etc and dumped the leaves in. Really must remember to carry a suitable receptacle for unforseen foraging opportunities like this!

Further on at the top of a set of steps up from the valley floor to the cliff top the eagle-eyed Chap let out a delighted cry of 'Ears - Jelly Ears' which may well have earnt us the odd look or two had anyone else been foolhardy enough to be out in the howling wind and, at this point, driving rain. Luckily they weren't so were spared the sight of the childlike excitement of 2 fully grown adults exclaiming over the finding of what have been less than charitably described as looking like 'the pigs ears I gave the dogs tonight' on one forum I frequent! Jelly Ear fungus admittedly aren't the most immediately appealing item to pull off a tree and contemplate eating but they are one that it's nigh on impossible to misidentify meaning a safe bet for fledgling foragers to try. We gathered the larger growths, leaving the smallest to carry on; wrapped them in a tissue [it's all I had to hand] and popped them in the top of my overloaded bag taking care not to squish them. Further on round our walk we spotted some more but these were old and dried out so after a quick photograph we left them alone.

After our visit to the Square and Compass we headed back down to 'sunny' Devon [ha] - through driving rain, massive side winds and a pea-souper fog. Not fun driving conditions for the Chap.

Safely back home I looked up the Jelly Ears. Whilst we both knew they were edible we weren't so sure what to do with them - I'd had some vague recollection of stewing in milk being an option. [I know - sounding more and more tasty by the moment eh!! :-D]

The River Cottage 'Mushroom' book has this to say:

"The Jelly Ear...is something of an acquired taste. The undistinguished mild flavour and unassailable crunchiness...has proved something of a challenge to western palates. ...used with discretion in a spicy soup or stew where they can absorb the surrounding flavours, their unfamiliar qualities become clear assets."

'Food for Free' advises:

"It should be washed well, and sliced finely, for although the translucent flash is thin, it can be tough and indigestible.

Stew for at least 45 minutes in stock or milk and serve with plenty of pepper. Ensure it is cooked properly, otherwise the flesh will be very rubbery. The result is crisp and not unlike a seaweed."

Doesn't that all make you want to rush out and find some to try yourself?!!

I decided to casserole them for at least the stipulated 45 mins and see what we thought.

A check of the River Cottage 'Edible Seashore' guide had left me fairly certain that I'd collected Sea Cabbage but a *google later has now made me think it could be Sea Kale as most sources seem to use 'Sea Cabbage' to describe a type of seaweed which this most definitely isn't. Anyway, the book mentioned that you want the smallest leaves in Spring time - 'uh oh' thinks I - wrong time of year. Oh well - I did go for the small leaves so we'll give them a try. Lightly boiled they could make a nice 'greens' accompaniment to the Ear Casserole. [I can hear you thinking 'yum'.]

So; here we go with our Dorsetshire Jelly Ear Casserole and Seaside Greens Supper:

Splosh EVOO - about 0.5 tbsp

1 onion peeled and chopped

3 sticks celery chopped

Sprig rosemary - chopped

2 carrots chopped

Swede - approx 7-8oz - chopped

Veg stock - I used a total of 0.75 pint

2 bay leaves [look at my beautiful fresh bay leaves courtesy of mother's plant and my cute lttle jar for putting them in!]

2 medium spuds - 10-12 oz in total - chopped

0.5 tsp dried garlic - or 1 crushed and finely chopped fresh clove

1 small sweet potato peeled and chopped

Jelly ear mushrooms - small handful washed, trimmed of any hard stalk part and sliced finely

Glug red wine, approx 4 tbsps-ish

1tsp veg gravy granules

Handful green beans - chopped

Sea Cabbage/kale

Heat EVOO. Add onion and celery and fry gently to soften. If using fresh garlic add this now.

Add rosemary, carrot and swede and stir.

Add stock to cover - at this point it was 12fl oz. Add bay leaves and garlic if using dried granules.

Put oven on to heat up - Gas 6.

Chop both kinds of potatoes and add to pot.

Prep fungi and add these too. At this point the Chap made the helpful comparison between the sliced fungi and slugs. Not exactly the image I wanted in my head - thanks lovely man!!

Stir all well together.

Splosh in the red wine and sprinkle over the gravy granules then add enough stock to just almost cover the veg. As mentioned this took me to a total of 0.75 pint.

Stir again and pop in the oven for 40 mins.

Remove, add beans, stir through and replace in oven for 5-10 mins.

Meanwhile lightly simmer the sea cabbage/kale for 2-3 mins then drain well.

Verdict: hmm - er - well they were right that they don't really taste of anything themselves. The Jelly Ears had soaked up the flavours of the casserole so worked in that respect. However, they did have a slightly 'slimy' kinda thing going on, and were chewy with it. No sign of the crunchiness both books mentioned - not sure what they meant there? They were edible - no more than that.

Overall - I wouldn't go out of my way to find these again although I think the Chap would like a try at drying them and using in an oriental soup. Glad to have the opportunity to try them and this was our first foraged fungi meal so kinda exciting on that front.

Oh - and the sea cabbage? Bleargh!! This was absolutely vile. No other word for it - or at least no other polite one! I think it's the wrong time of year. I did try a tiny baby leaf - about 1cm size of tiny - and that was ok so I think these will be worth a try as spring baby leaves but now - totally unpalatable. They'd keep you alive and that's about all can be said for them. Very rich in iron the chap said through making faces at the taste.

All in all not a total success then but life is a patchwork of experiences is it not?

I now know not to either gather sea cabbage/kale [whatever the damn stuff is] in the depths of winter nor to post a photo of dubious looking fungi on a forum and expect to get away with it. :-D

*I'm not sure when 'google' became a verb but it now seems firmly ensconced in the national, if not international, conciousness as such if not in the actual Oxford English so I'm afraid it may well get used in this way on these pages. If it makes you wince - sorry 'bout that.

A favourite place

Whilst in Dorset at the weekend I wanted to show the Chap one of my favourite places there on the coast. If you drive through Corfe Castle, turn right and follow the road all the way up through Kingston, drive along the top of the ridge (admiring the view as you go) then turn right again you will end up in Worth Matravers. Park in the honesty car park and from here you can walk down past the strip lynchets (medieval terracing system) to the coast to join the SW coast path . (You can see the strip lynchets in this photo taken in January '09 on a much sunnier day. As I have to admit, several of the photos on this post were. The really grey ones are from this year!) Or you can do as we did and scramble down to see the sea at Seacombe. (On the far right of this map.) Now it was, to say the least; a tad windy whilst we were there and the tide was in so we couldn't get all the way round to where we used to spend many a happy hour as nippers dabbling in the rock pools, but we got to see the place, the Chap diced with the idea of being washed away and we had what I believe would be covered by the term 'bracing' walk before retiring back up the [very very muddy indeed] hill to the pub.

Ah the pub - the Square and Compass. This is my very favourite pub, quite possibly also fueled by many memories as a kid of reaching the refuge of it after a similarly bracing [although perhaps slightly more challenging sized 3 feet tall] walk along the cliff tops. It's an old low stone building with a stone roof that nestles into the top of the hillside in Worth Matravers looking down to the sea. It's been in the same family for over 100 years and has appeared in every single edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. They have free range chickens running about and a stone carving festival in the summer. There's roaring fires and a chair made from driftwood and branches. There's a bar that's really just a hatch with barrels of real ales behind. There's a mini museum of fossils and local finds collected by the current landlord's father. [Sadly passed away now.] There's a pumpkin carving festival in autumn. There used to be a semi-tame Raven when I was small but it attacked me once so I'm quite happy that's not around any more. It did also stuff an inebriated man's fiver down a drainpipe one memorable New Years eve to our geat amusement though. There're tables made of massive slabs of rock in the garden and a lovely view to the sea. There's some of the freshest air I know and quite importantly there are pasties. Just pasties. Only pasties. As in - NO OTHER FOOD but pasties. You have to have a pasty when you go there. It's the law, or an old charter or something. Or it should be. Assuming you've done your bracing walk in the howling gale [did I mention it rained too] then you've earnt a nice hot pasty and a pint, whilst you steam gently by the side of the fire. They're scrummy pasties too; from memory and other's comments now. Served on a paper plate with a choice of sauces at the bar and a piece of kitchen towel for your fingers [though there is cutlery if you want it] this is the proper Square and Compass experience. They even have a veggie option these days so I too can have my pasty with my pint. Bliss.

Go there. Do it now.

The Silent Woman - Wareham. A pub not a genuine rarity! :-D

The weekend was spent 'back home' [not sure why I still say that as I've now lived longer away from there than I did there] in Dorset. We had lunch to celebrate little big sis's birthday at the Silent Woman pub just outside Wareham in Coldharbour. [A place which incidentally didn't appear on my road atlas - it's that small.] We've eaten there a couple of times in the last year and a half and the food has always been good. I must admit to being slightly disappointed to see it was the same menu as the last 2 times though but we have always been in the colder months so maybe it's their winter menu...

However, they do have a specials board which always seems to have some good sounding choices on it and this trip was no exception. As well as the various meaty options (beef and guinness pie, some sort of ham hock dish, beef madras, er...) there was a smoked salmon and prawn pasta dish, a mushroom risotto and what caught my eye - *Quorn pieces in a mushroom and brie sauce. As a veggie [or pescatarian to be entirely accurate] I was inordinately pleased to see this and in fact, I can't bring to mind a single other time I've seen a Quorn dish on offer in a pub or restaurant that wasn't specially catering to vegetarians. This made my mind up for me so I really had to choose this. It was a good dish, creamy so somewhat rich - not for those watching the calories. [Mind you if you're eating out you really shouldn't be, at least for that one meal.] The brie flavour came through without being overpowering, which had worried me a little. It was a generous potion and cooked well - Quorn can be ruined if overcooked. Served with a choice of spuds and veg or salad I went for the tarragon saute spuds [not the healthy option again] which were lovely and the stir fried veg which were a little on the greasy side. Overall though a good dish. The others had variously: scallop topped salmon fillet dusted with cajun spices - a hit and the scallops were nice big plump 'uns. This was what I nearly went for had the Quorn not had my allegiance. There was a venison casserole and a lamb casserole (aha - the lamb was the other dish on the specials board). Both went down well also. The final dish of our party was a beef in black bean sauce stir fry with noodles. Said by the Chap to be like stir fry when an English person makes it; apparently the sauce was more of a gravy consistency and the noodles were a bit overdone. Hmm - perhaps they should stick to what they know.

Overall though generally good food, a pretty pub with roaring fires and good Badger beers on tap and the courage to put Quorn on as a main meal choice. Oh and the Silent Woman namesake? In their words:

"Once a smugglers haunt, legend has it that an 'unusual' Landlady (one who talked too much, heaven forbid!) gave away the smugglers' secrets in Wareham market place. Fearful of capture by the ever-present Excise Men, the smugglers silenced her by cutting out her tongue, thus creating that unique phenomenon 'The Silent Woman'. "

Tsk - you can tell a bloke wrote that!!

*Can we assume that after every time I've written 'Quorn' in this post there appears a little 'TM' in the appropriate place. I neither know how to make it 'top-align' [if that's the phrase] nor do I much care. Quorn people - rest assured I have the greatest respect for your product and it's intellectual, market and whatever else integrity. :-)

Dorsetshire weekend part 2

Saturday of the weekend had us planned to go for a traipse along the coast the other side of the Purbecks but a rather inclement start to the morning put paid to that. Grump - missed out on visiting my fave pub in the world for a pasty!!

Instead we settled on a visit to Wareham with a stroll along the river and a pub lunch before they headed back up t'North. I must confess that this decision was in no small way influenced by me having heard there was a market on the quay with a cheese stall and needing to stock up on Blue Vinney for myself and a couple of friends I have got hooked on the stuff, mwah ha ha haaa... :-p

So, first to the market and the cheese stall. Mostly the market (small) was the general selection of bric a brac / clothes / household bits / massive packs of crisps that you find at lots of markets but it's saving grace was that there was a small fresh fish van, a very good looking sprawling veg stall complete with yellow courgettes, romanesco caulis (the cool ones that look fractal), fresh lemongrass &c &c and the aforementioned cheese stall. Ahh - the cheese stall. It was a goldmine, I ended up spending over £12 and that was holding myself back!! (I'm very definitely not expecting to buy any more cheese this month!!) They had short dated Camembert at £1 each or 2 for £1.50 [2 - of course I got 2, did you really think otherwise?], the Dorset Blue Vinney I was actually there for, various Cheddars, Stilton, Smoked Cheddar et al. I came away with a very nice mature cheddar called Coastal, which although aged for 15 months isn't the kind that destroys your taste buds but remains still smooth and very, very good. I got a couple of chunks of Manchega at £2 a pop, one can go in the freezer. I have yet to try this but am hoping it's good. I got to like Manchega when I had it in Spain but then got some from the S'bury's deli counter last xmas and was bitterly disappointed at the flavourless plasticy product they'd somehow substituted for something actually edible. A big wedge of blue Vinney as it was being split 3 ways and the most intriguing for me, a blue cheese I've never come across called Fourme D'Ambert. Not knowing what it was like I opted for a small piece of this - MISTAKE!! It's like a blue brie or camembert is the best way I can describe it and super good. Deffo got to stock up on that next time I'm down that way! [On the subject of cheese, as we ever are, I may have to go to this - a cheese festival - what could be better!!]

Laden with cheese we then decided to take a short stroll down the Wareham River (the Frome) to Redclyffe at the end and back. (Yep - shoulda done the shopping after, I know, I know.) New since the last time I was there are these stone benches carved with lines from a poem about rivers. I love this kind of functional item elevated to art by something relatively simple, and wholeheartedly encourage any local councils with a modicum of funding left over to follow suit.

Spotted this intriguing garden across the river, equipped with teepee, birdcage type seating area and 'love' stones, it made me want to be able to have a poke around but this was the closest we got.

After a pleasant stroll - it had turned sunny by now as if to taunt my lack of a visit to the pasty pub - we decided on the Black Bear for lunch, based on this specials board outside. Although we were having a light lunch if the calibre of the specials board is anything to go by you can be pretty sure the rest of the menu should be alright. Everyone else plumped for the crab sandwiches, which was my original choice until I saw they had a pint of prawns on the menu - that's for me then!! Given the moniker 'activity food' by a sister this falls into that area of food where you really are going to have to get your hands dirty, like with moules, or whole crab etc. I love it!! I have to say these were excellent, plump, fresh as anything prawns with that slightest edge of sweetness that tells you just how fresh they are. My only quibble was the distinct lack of a finger bowl but hey, there was soap in the ladies so who's complaining. I'd recommend this characterful old boozer, there's fascinating old photos of the area on the walls in the main bar and they do very good Badger beers, the local beer to this part of Dorset.. Although the pub has a fairly narrow frontage it goes back and back through different rooms until you emerge into the courtyard garden at the back so there's plenty of space. They have a music festival in Wareham on the bank hol weekend and this is one of the venues so I may get to revisit it then. Here's hoping!