Discover Dorset’s busy summer food lineup: from cider and seafood to chilli and cheese, Fanny Charles explores the best local flavours this year
Dorset has had a busy summer food festival calendar for many years – and this year the festival diary has got even fuller, with a new event at Shaftesbury joining regular celebrations of the county’s rich harvest of food and drink, seafood, cider … and chillis.
The busy foodie month starts on Saturday 3rd August with the Dorset Food & Arts Festival now based at the Great Field at Poundbury (it was held originally at Queen Mother Square). This year is a special anniversary for the free event, which began in 2012 to celebrate the best of Dorset’s food, drink and creativity, during the London Olympics. It has remained free, and is a great event for locals to renew relationships with food and drink producers and artists – and for visitors to discover some real tastes of Dorset.
Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th August – the Great Dorset Chilli Festival, now established at Stock Gaylard, near Stalbridge (it was originally in the grounds of St Giles House near Wimborne). It has some claim to be Dorset’s hottest festival!
Wednesday and Thursday 14th and 15th August – Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show, one of the country’s leading agricultural shows, is a wonderful celebration of food and farming across Dorset and a bit beyond.
Saturday 17th August – celebrate the West Country’s best known alcoholic drink at the Dorchester Cider Festival in Borough Gardens. It is a free, family-friendly celebration of the region’s bests cider as well as elderflower infusions, street food and live music.
Sunday 18th August – new this year, EAT Shaftesbury on Park Walk. This is a new date for the long-established EAT festivals which bring outstanding local food and drink to towns across Somerset and Devon.
Thursday 22nd August – Melplash Show on the West Bay showground between Bridport and West Bay, is one of the region’s finest one-day shows, and a great day out for anyone who cares about food, farming and the countryside.
Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th August – Swanage Fish Festival at a new venue, Sandpit Field off De Moulham Road.
Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th August – Stock Gaylard Oak Fair, celebrating oak trees, woodland, forestry, conservation and lots of local food.
Looking a little further ahead:
7th and 8th September – Dorset County Show, at the showground just north of Dorchester; two days of the cream of Dorset farming and countryside exhibitions and competitions, food, drink and rural life generally.
7th and 8th September – Dorset Seafood Festival, enjoy the best of Dorset’s marine harvest at the Weymouth Peninsula.
Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th September – Sturminster Cheese Festival, now in its 25th year, a celebration of the region’s cheese tradition, with lots of other artisan food and drink producers, artists and makers, local organisations, children’s activities and live music.
Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th September – Poole’s Seafood and Sounds Festival in the Old Town and on the Quay; great food and live music.
