Posts by Nathalie Roberts
11/01/2011 1 Comment

West Dorset: Have your say on free bus travel

IT SEEMS that all the news is about cuts these days and this is no exception. Money available for bus passes for older people is being significantly reduced.

At the moment, responsibility locally lies with West Dorset District Council but as of April 2011, it will be with Dorset County Council. 

Up to now West Dorset has been offering extra concessions e.g. free travel before 9.30am. Older people elsewhere in the UK – depending on the goodwill of their councils – have to travel after rush hour.

What seems to make sense in towns and cities where buses are busy with people travelling to work does not necessarily add up in remote parts such as ours. 

Imagine you live in Melplash and need to go to Yeovil for the morning. If you can no longer take the 07.44, the first bus available is at 10.24, getting you to Yeovil at 11.20. 

And if you want to travel from Beaminster to Weymouth without going around the houses, then you can no longer do it for free as the only bus is at 08.45. 

The consultation ends this Friday, 14th January (it started on 3rd December). Seems a bit short but I have only just been made aware of this (then again, I don’t qualify for free travel yet!). 

I understand that this consultation has had a postal survey and a web survey. If you qualify for a free bus pass, are affected by the proposed changes but have not been made aware, here is your chance: 

 http://consultationtracker.dorsetforyou.com/concessionarytravel

A Dorset County Council spokesman commented: “Whilst the official deadline is 14 January we will be processing responses received for at least 5 working days after the deadline.”

He went on: “We are consulting, amongst other things, on the possibility of restricting the use of passes before 0930 on weekdays in West Dorset, East Dorset and North Dorset (this restriction already applies in Christchurch, Purbeck and Weymouth & Portland).

“The final decision will be made by councillors taking into account the much reduced government grant and the impact on passengers of such restrictions.

“It is, however, highly likely that where buses are infrequent officers will be recommending that exemptions are allowed (there are already precedents for this in areas where the pre-0930 restriction already applies).

“We are currently identifying those journeys likely to be recommended for exemption and it is quite a long list!” 
26/10/2010 No comments

West Dorset: Let’s at least try to get superfast broadband!

HAVE YOU heard from “Race to Infinity”? Sounds a bit Toy Story but is it child’s play? If you think your broadband connection is slower than what you’re actually paying for, read on because if Beaminster and Bridport’s votes are anything to go by, West Dorset is not even in the race. Yet.

BT are conducting a survey for the establishment of their superfast fibre optic Broadband within the UK called Infinity Services. Have we got a chance in West Dorset to even get what some of us already pay for but are not getting: a fast connection?

Well… five areas of the UK (yes 5) with the largest percentage of votes by 31 December 2010 will win the chance to be the lucky BT’s Infinity race winners. ‘Chance to win’ never guarantees anything in my books but lack of trying certainly guarantees failure.

So, before you go and vote please tell all your friends, your colleagues, your neighbours, your parents and whatever you do please don’t forget your silver surfer friends. We do live in West Dorset after all. Only 8 people have voted for Beaminster out of 1,800, Bridport is marginally better with 38 votes out of 8,110 (on Monday 25 October 2010).

Our neighbours Weymouth will probably be on fast track mode thanks to the Olympics but let’s face it, Beaminster, Bridport or Sherborne may well be in West Dorset too, it doesn’t mean we’ll have any of that legacy. Go on, it takes a minute, does not cost a penny and it’s nice to be full of hope once in a while…

To Infinity and Beyond? Go: http://on.fb.me/c0Fn20
18/06/2010 1 Comment

The wonder of a West Dorset chilli

Joy Michaud

THE CHILLI plant that my husband bought from Joy Michaud at the Melplash Show was the best thing we have bought at a food show, ever. I didn’t even particularly like chillies when I met my husband but he cooks with it quite a lot and my palate has evolved over the years. I suppose I can stand the heat now, a little bit anyway.

Anyway, picture the scene… That plant stands on our kitchen table – the sunniest spot in the house – from Summer all the way in to November. The leaves are pretty enough and the dainty white flowers are cute. But the best part is obviously the fruit. The tiny, pale green, tear shape that quickly grows and turns purple, white, yellow, orange and red. By the end of Summer you have a display of dozens of amazing colourful fruits from a fairly small potted plant. At £5 a pot, talk of great value.

What about the taste though? One of the best we have ever come across. Its flavour is unique and reasonably hot but without scorching or numbing your mouth. We all looked after the plant, kids were checking colour progress, we counted, watered, picked and ate different colours to check the difference, we cooked, froze and dried. Do you get as much fun from a small bunch of flowers?

The Michauds had an open day this week prior to the Bridport Food Festival so I visited with strict instructions from the husband. He’d look after the kids but I had to bring back a new plant. We were sad that our first one did not survive the winter. Probably, it  did not like being relegated to the toilet having been the centre of attention for so long.

I now know that we had been smitten by a NuMex Twilight.

NuMex Twilight: "Do you get as much fun from a small bunch of flowers?"

The Michauds are one of these inspiring couples that you could spend hours chatting to. In fact I did. What a fascinating set up they have in West Bexington. They sell chillies, chilli plants and seeds. Anything they sell they have tried several times. The seeds are planted in different conditions, the vegetables from the seeds are tested and they have to come up to the expectations of the Michauds’ palates.

The afternoon was particularly hot and believe me, walking around the poly tunnels, I am glad I do not spend every day in there. When I entered the Dorset Naga tunnel, I thought I might faint and I had to walk back out. The heat was unbelievable. It figures that this is one of the hottest chillies in the world! I don’t know that I’ll ever pluck up the courage to taste this Dorset wonder.

The Michauds will be among many exhibitors at Bridport Food Festival this Saturday, June 19. If you cannot get there, you can buy their seeds by post.
14/06/2010 No comments

Tour of Denhay’s cheese house tickles nostrils

WE’VE LOST touch with nature. We have no idea where our food comes from. What does our farmer down the road get up to? As I buy Denhay bacon and their Farmhouse Cheddar ends up on my cheese plate, I went to check out the Streatfeilds’ estate when they – and many other farmers around the country – opened their doors to the public for Open Farm Sunday.

Here is a farm that has managed to play the supermarket game and keep a good taste.

Not an easy task. I am curious.

We were greeted by a grandma, under an umbrella, explaining what we had to do, and raising her voice when it came to the washing of hands if we touched animals; with children in tow, a wise reminder.

First Amanda (Mrs Denhay) took us into a large breeze-block room. I was waiting to see how the award-winning cheese is made. Spotting a couple of small plastic bowls with whey and curd on a low table, I realised we were not going to go anywhere near the real action. Slightly disappointed I listened intently all the same whilst my son was leaning fiercely on my shoulder, sure sign of boredom looming.

How can you expect cheese to always taste the same?

The last time I was shown how cheese is crafted was in the Alps by a farmer who could fit his farm in to one of Denhay’s barns. He explained that cows eat grass or hay depending on the time of year so his cheese tastes according to his cows’ diet. I asked him if Europe’s never-ending and somewhat limiting rules bothered or hindered him, as English farmers and food makers seem to blame Brussels for a lot of things. No was his reply. Supermarkets do. How can you expect cheese to always taste the same?

Problem is, many customers do. Or so supermarkets tell us, and let’s face it, who doesn’t shop there? Which is why the Denhays of this world have had to find a solution. Cows have to eat a perfectly balanced diet of nutrients from the farm, the UK or even abroad to get the right milk. This is then turned into rindless square cheese blocks perfect for supermarket shelves.

The milking parlour is a perfectly choreographed affair. The slurry pit is not an eyesore at the front of the farm but hidden away from eyes and noses. It’s still a farm with a hole in the ceiling of the barn for all that stinky methane gas. Shame they can’t process it somehow.

Like butter in need of a wash

Let’s get back to the real business of cheese. Thankfully, so as not to lose tradition and taste, the family still crafts the iconic 27kg round smelly cylinder that looks like butter in need of a wash when it is maturing, and a bit like a perfectly-formed yet mouldy-looking stone with ash on it when it is ready to savour.

This of course takes
1) time – up to 18 months – turning once a day for fear of explosion (you think I’m kidding?),
2) space (these things are huge) and
3) know-how.

One thick rind giving away taste and texture to its heart, never twice the same.

Did my leaning 10-year-old learn anything and enjoy the couple of hours? Well, he loved the tractor ride, he enjoyed feeding a calf and next time he hears curd and whey, he may have a mental image of an opaque liquid and he will, hopefully, remember the sweet buttery smell of curd. He does recall the stinky smell of the cave-temperature fridge which tickled my nostrils. So that’s better than when we arrived.

Yes, farmers who open to the public have an agenda. I did buy some Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar. I do anyway. But at least they explained clearly to quite a lot of us what they do, answered questions, had the whole farm spick and span, offered us refreshments and more.

Yes, they produce huge quantities compared to my Alpine one-man band. Thing is, his cheese is delectable and unique but can be a bit of a gamble. It’s a question of choice, for customer and farmer.

Off to New Zealand

Amanda and George’s son told me he’s off to New Zealand for a year to see how they do things on the other side of the world. He was explaining yield and almost got carried away with Holstein versus other breeds that are becoming popular in the milking world. He realised his audience might get a bit lost, smiled and stopped.

It’ll be interesting to see if Denhay cows get to spend more time in the fields in a few years time.

I’m glad I’m not making that decision.

All I want is a tasty cheese at a price I can afford.

Preferably in wedges although rectangles often have to do.
18/05/2010 7 Comments

Are carnivals relevant to West Dorset countryside and coast?

An opinion piece about plans to spend £45,000 studying carnivals along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon

Photograph by Agencia Brasil, reused under Creative Commons Licence.

IS THIS country too anchored in its past or feeling too guilty to be so politically correct?

There is a certain irony that Carnival should be studied in a country that has never been keen on Catholicism.

Mardi Gras, after all, is not very British.

Carnivals no longer have much to do with Lent but to my mind they do have a lot to do with cities.

Rio and London spring to mind, not the Jurassic Coast.

Weymouth or Bridport may well have wonderful carnivals but their reputation is not national, let alone international.

I have only lived here for two years, which makes me ignorant, but none of my forty-something friends that have lived here a while longer – or forever – have ever suggested going to either.

The events we do go to are ones anchored in many of the people who make up West Dorset and East Devon, the districts mainly relevant to the Jurassic Coast.

Culture and food

Take the world-renowned Bridport festival. If you write in English you will probably have heard of The Bridport Prize; thousands of entries from around 80 countries world-wide make a pretty wide introduction to a town and its world-class festival. But who has heard of the Bridport Carnival?

The Beaminster Festival of music and art – when the sleepy medieval town comes alive for a fortnight – is another example.

Dorset Arts Weeks is the largest Open Studios event in the country, 800 artists take part, and that’s only visual arts.

Food festivals compete with each other and attract hundreds of people, local and otherwise. Our area is filled with talented creatives and Dorset could lead the world in placing culture at the heart of quality of life. Who will lead the creatives or at least coordinate them I am not so sure. Working together to a common goal is not something I have seen enough proof of since I have lived in the UK (23 years) although thankfully this is slowly changing.  

Take Normandy as an example. Helped by the French government, Normandy has marketed itself as the birthplace of Impressionism. 2010 sees the largest Impressionists exhibition ever, drawing art enthusiasts from around the world: Americans and Japanese are very keen).

This did not happen in a day, it is a massive investment in time, effort, organisation, structures; more importantly it is born from a realisation that art is a medium by which rich and poor have always communicated, something that not only brings inspiration and well-being but also economic repercussions.

Would Impressionists be the same without Constable or Turner? Should we not celebrate our artists rather than leave them to be marginalised?

Why look to Carnivals in an area that is heavily anchored in the countryside and the sea?

West Dorset and East Devon are not about cities or even large towns, they are about communities that get together on a human scale to come up with child-friendly events, fêtes and festivals.

Drawing an analogy to music festivals, this is not Glastonbury, this is Truck.

Friendly, quirky, socially responsible, sustainable, on a human scale and a hell of a lot of fun.

It may be less socially acceptable to do research on art and culture and far more politically correct to conduct research on inner city leisure time.

Is this a case of looking to the industrial past that makes us believe that cities come first and foremost?

Is it a guilty feeling that countryside people are luckier than city people and need less investment from any governmental body?

Or is it a case of an idea coming from London or even Weymouth rather than from the people that actually live along the Coast concerned?

The originators of the idea cannot be blamed if their lack of vision is due to the lethargy of the people concerned.

We could point the finger if the people concerned have not been properly consulted or even informed. I have not lived here long enough to comment on this.

But I do know that information is difficult to get unless you actively look for it.

Thank you Real West Dorset for coming up yet again with an interesting debate.

Editor’s Note: The three-year PhD Carnival studentship is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the successful applicant will work with Exeter University academics and members of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site Arts Programme team.

The project will focus particularly, but not exclusively, on Weymouth, as there is “an agenda of connecting communities along the Jurassic Coast with communities sharing strong carnival cultures across the globe, the aim being to forge a globalised carnival community expressed through embodied performance and arts practice.”

Here, for the record, is the full list of research questions.

  • What are the historical geographies of the Jurassic Coast’s carnivals?
  • To what extent have elements of transgression, empowerment and resistance played a role in the movement and experience of the area’s carnivals?
  • How is ‘carnival’ being used by the Jurassic Coast WHS Arts Programme as a vehicle for community cohesion and relational celebration, both along the coast and through UNESCO World Heritage Site networks?
  • How is the local carnival heritage negotiated within the context of an internationally orientated festival that has a global audience?
  • How does the mobilisation of carnival in different policy agendas impact on community engagement and participation within the practice of carnival?
  • How does the transgressive nature of carnival and mobilization of arts practices within the event work through governance frameworks?

We might come back to the question, just for the fun of it, of whether the nature of carnival is transgressive or whether that notion, generally derived in modern academic discourse from the pre-war Russian critic and philosopher Mikhail Bahktin, is, arguably, wrong.

(And not just because I truly cannot think of anything transgressive I have ever seen in, for example, a Groves Nursery float).