After the success of last years christmas market we are delighted to be hosting a smaller Easter market in Crown Square Poundbury along with an Easter Egg Hunt.

Crown Square Poundbury

DT1 3EN

In association with Dorset Food & Drink come along to the Abbotsbury Food Fair 2023. Ticket includes entry to the Subtropical Gardens. With around 30 stalls of makers and producers, food, drink and crafts from across Dorset. A fantastic fun day out in the beautiful setting of the Gardens. The perfect kick off to the season! Support eating and shopping local!

Celebrate the start of the English asparagus season with local growers Bothen Hill  

Anita and Chip de Greeff, owners of Bothen Hill grow their award-winning asparagus just over the hedge from Furleigh’s Bacchus vines.

They are West Dorset’s largest organic vegetable growers with over 150 different varieties grown on more than 15 acres.

Tickets £30.00 pp 

On arrival you will be greeted with a glass of Furleigh fizz, while Anita and Chip introduce us to the world of Dorset asparagus and the trials and tribulations of organic vegetable growing.  There will be a gardeners’ Q & A session after the talk for those seeking expert advice for their vegetable plots!

The wine team at Furleigh will then guide you through the development of what has become England’s iconic still wine grape variety, which will be served with a selection of asparagus-based canapés.

Book your tickets: at https://furleighestate.co.uk/product/bacchus-asparagus-tasting-

Furleigh Estate invite you to join them at their cellar door to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III with fizz and afternoon tea.

On arrival you will be greeted with a glass of our King’s Cuvée, before being seated for your afternoon tea.

Our coronation afternoon tea provided by local chef Connie Hawker will consist of a selection of finger sandwiches, savouries and sweet treats to include mini coronation trifle. Food will be served with a pot of tea and a glass of Furleigh Estate Everdene.

Singer and pianist Julie Dunn will be entertaining us with classic jazz songs throughout the afternoon.

Tickets are £55 per person and group bookings are welcome.

Numbers are limited so please book your place at https://furleighestate.co.uk/product/king-s-coronation-afternoon-tea-party

A festival to celebrate all things Watercress.

Offering a full day of entertainment, education, food and fun. The free festival open to all with no tickets required. The only charge is parking and your own personal spend.

The day begins at 10am with the opening cavalcade and freshly harvested watercress being thrown to the crowds by the newly crowned Watercress King and Queen – don’t miss it!

Joining culinary legend and master of seasonal ingredients Mark Hix on the cookery stage will be newcomer and MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 finalist, Charlie Jeffreys, as well as the hugely popular TV chef, Lesley Walters, all showing their skills and wonderful ways with watercress!

So, there’s certainly, lots for festival goers to get their teeth into especially as Mark will be making extra portions of his watercress recipes so that audience members can bid to buy them and raise funds for the festival charity, Abby’s Heroes.

For more information and to keep up to date with new attractions being added to the day, visit www.watercressfestival.org or follow the event social media:

https://www.facebook.com/WatercressFestival

https://twitter.com/WatercressFest https://www.instagram.com/watercressfest/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjH1QX_TfbBEi7uFYS78BUA/featured

For recipes, visit www.watercress.co.uk and for information about the health benefits of watercress go to www.thewatercresscompany.com

Join the Furleigh Estate wine team and Sally’s Fish Camp for a masterclass in crab cracking!

There are two dates for this crab cracking spectacular – Tuesday 13^th  & Tuesday 20^th June 2023 from 12 noon to 2.30pm.

You will learn how to crack, pick and dress a fresh crab.

The masterclass will start with a glass of our delicious sparkling wine, before Sally immerses you in cracking, twisting, pulling and prepping your crab.

Then get to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your learning, with your delicious dressed crab, served with homemade sourdough & locally hand-picked leaves, and accompanied by a glass of our exceptional sparkling wine.

Sally Allan has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and her endless passion and taste for shellfish and seafood guarantees you will have a cracking time and leave with a wealth of knowledge!

Tickets are £85 pp and can be booked at:https://furleighestate.co.uk/product/crab-cracking-masterclass

The Summer Festival combines everything beautiful for your home…inside and out.

This 5-day festival incorporates not only 60 crafters and makers but all things for alfresco living. With inspiration from our Fire and Food outdoor kitchen you will be able to enjoy BBQ demonstrations and all aspects of outdoor living too.

We will also be showcasing the best artists and makers in Dorset all gathered in the spectacular surroundings at Sculpture by the Lakes. Many exhibitors will not only be selling their works but also demonstrating their skills to allow you to appreciate the process of their craft. Watch pots being thrown, live raku firing, blacksmith forging and much more.

So, join us for the Summer Festival, for a wonderful day out.

Tickets required, book online at https://tickets.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk/

The Summer Festival combines everything beautiful for your home…inside and out.

This 5-day festival incorporates not only 60 crafters and makers but all things for alfresco living. With inspiration from our Fire and Food outdoor kitchen you will be able to enjoy BBQ demonstrations and all aspects of outdoor living too.

We will also be showcasing the best artists and makers in Dorset all gathered in the spectacular surroundings at Sculpture by the Lakes. Many exhibitors will not only be selling their works but also demonstrating their skills to allow you to appreciate the process of their craft. Watch pots being thrown, live raku firing, blacksmith forging and much more.

So, join us for the Summer Festival, for a wonderful day out.

Tickets required, book online at https://tickets.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk/

Beefest Poundbury is back on Saturday 15th July 2023 on the Great Field Poundbury.

We will have local beekeepers, food, children’s activities, craft stalls, plants and so much more.

The Dorset Food and Arts Festival is back on the menu, and ready to champion the best of Dorset and showcase
a great line up of local food, drink, art, craft and community talent.

Join us on Saturday 5 August from 10am – 3pm on the Great Field in Poundbury, as we bring together a FREE ‘pop-up’ festival market!

With 60 plus stalls, there’s bound to be something to surprise and delight you.
It’s the perfect opportunity to shop for a wide selection of delicious products and artisan crafts.

Grab a bite to eat and enjoy a tipple as you shop with local stallholders, producers, and makers – offering tasty food and drink,
handmade gifts, art, and beautiful crafts.

We’re bringing together a fantastic collective of makers and food producers with the buzz of a traditional market – but the icing on the cake is that when you shop at events like this, you get to MEET the amazing people who make, bake, brew, farm, grow, cook, milk, preserve, pickle, and serve you with all this local loveliness- many of them award-winning!

Check in with us in the run up to the event as we add and introduce you to our 2023 line up!
But until then, we look forward to welcoming you and on Saturday 5 August!

Pop the date in your diary and please mark yourself as ‘Attending’ on the Facebook Event.
This way our lovely stallholders will be able to bring enough goodies to keep you going and minimise wastage.

We cant wait to see you!

New Forest Food Festival is an event for all the family. Rich in local produce, artisan foodies and makers, internationally-renowned chefs and restaurants, unique skills and intricate crafts, showcasing the best of the New Forest.

From craft baking to organic local brewing, artisan cheese to local chocolates, the world-famous Pannage Pork to some seriously mouth-watering botanical gins – the New Forest Food Festival has it all, and more. We have activities for everyone including live music, craft displays, street theatre, mini fun fair and lots of kids activities and….. kids go free! Keep an eye on the website for more information.

Back at the new
venue of Stock Gaylard Deer Park, near Sturminster Newton, with over 120
trade stands, the Great Dorset Chilli Festival is set to be the hottest weekend
this summer. Locals and visitors will be able to visit the 2 day food festival
celebrating the world of chilli peppers, from growing chilli plants and
sampling chilli sauces, to enjoying spicy international street food and of
course watching the chilli eating competition. However it’s not just chillies,
so if spice isn’t your thing there is plenty of artisan food shopping to be
done, plus homewares such as hand-painted ceramics to watercolours for the
kitchen, to leathercraft and beautifully crafted wooden chopping boards. Much
of the food available to take home or enjoy for lunch focusses on flavour
rather than chilli heat.

One of the
highlights of the festival is The UK
Chilli Cook-off Association’s National 
Grand Masters chilli cook-off , showcasing the best chilli teams in the
country in a competition that will truly determine who is the best chilli chef
in the UK. With a new feature this year, on the Saturday teams will be asked to
cook a curry. On Sunday, teams will be cooking the traditional red chilli. On
both days the curry/chilli will be judged by the public as well as the main
judging team. Festival visitors can buy a spoon for charity to sample all the
entries, but need to be quick as there a limited number of spoons available!

Chilli eating competitions

Videos of
the Great Dorset Chilli Eating Competitions have racked up millions of views on
Youtube, but nothing compares to the atmosphere of watching it live. Often
dubbed as the highlight of the day, the Chilli
Eating Competition will be testing the limits of even the most hardened
chilli-heads.  Brave competitors will
subject themselves to rounds of increasingly hot chillies, which they have to
consume in their entirety before they progress to the next round.  The last man or woman standing will be
crowned the winner.  Willing volunteers
need to email info@greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk
to request an application form ahead of the event.

Live Music

Fresh from performing
at Glastonbury, bluegrass band Old Baby Mackerel will be singing about whisky,
railroads and heartbreak on Saturday as will tex-mex rock ‘n’ boogie band Snake
Oil, with Dorset bands The Mother Ukers and The Jimmy Hillbillies performing on
Sunday. Buskers beside the cider tent are Big Joe Bone on Saturday and Rob
Berry Blues on Sunday.

Cooking demonstrations

2023 line-up
to be confirmed. Dorset chefs such as Mark Hartstone of La Fosse in Cranborne and Mat Follas (Masterchef 2009 winner) were
seen turning up the heat in the kitchen last year. We also had a guest
appearance by Sue Stoneman, BBQ maestro, who showed visitors how to bake chilli
brownies and Atomic Buffalo Turds on a barbecue.

Talks on Growing Chillies

Everyone
seems to have a chilli plant on their windowsill these days. Hear from the
experts the top tips for getting the best from your chilli plants, with Joy
Michaud who created the super-hot Dorset Naga, and Matt Simpson who was
featured in the Daily Mail shouted curses at his plants to make them hotter!

Entertainment

Come and
watch the amazing birds of prey flying displays at 2.30pm each afternoon, or try
your hand at some circus skills. We’ll have fire shows, bouncy castles, mini
quad bike ‘train’ rides, and face painting, you can even have your caricature
drawn.

Tickets

For tickets go to www.GreatDorsetChilliFestival.co.uk

10am-5pm - Saturday 5th Sunday 6th August

Well behaved dogs on leads welcome

No camping

Feast mode activated!