One of the great delights of visiting a new place on holiday is the chance to slurp, taste, and chomp on some of the best food and drink; unique tastes in stunning locations, you just can’t beat it. Dorset is no different.
A diverse and beautiful county with lush green pastures, rugged cliffs, roaring seas and tinkling streams and pretty much everything in between. Amazing scenery for holidaymakers but so much more to discover. At every turn, the natural landscape is bursting with wonderful things to eat and drink. Dorset has always had a tradition of great food, though perhaps a little less well known than its neighbours. Over the past several years artisan producers have taken the natural bounty and turned it into something to really get your teeth into. A staggering array of breweries, cheesemakers, distilleries, bakers, jam-mongers, to name but a few, have sprung up across the county joining the distinguished purveyors of seafood, local meat and charcuterie and vegetables to give the visitor a myriad of tastes to enjoy.
With the quality of local produce in the ascendency it is not hard to imagine that there is a vibrant eating out scene here too and there are some wonderful places to eat as well as an enormous range; from fine dining to trendy street food vans. Many pubs have an excellent food offer as well as outstanding regional beers and ciders. It’s an experience that many visitors from overseas really relish and we would recommend whiling away an afternoon in a great Dorset pub with top notch grub. You really can’t go too far without falling over something delicious to nibble or quaff.
Many attractions have become champions for local food and in their cafés and restaurants you will find local ales and some wonderful English sparkling wines; Dorset cheeses and the freshest of seafood. Traditionally, home to the Blue Vinny cheese, Poole crab and Dorset apple cake look out for these around and cracking cream teas, but there is an exciting food movement evolving in Dorset and plenty of other morsels of delight to be had from quirky, coastal cabins, cosy cafés, vintage tea-rooms and revolutionary restaurants.
If you are feeling a bit more active then a cycle round the stunning countryside and wonderful foodie tours maybe just the thing. Recently launched Dorset Pedals are a terrific way to get acquainted with Dorset and some of the very best products and producers.
As well as the permanent foodie destinations, food festivals abound; most weekends from early summer to the Autumn a foodie festival will pop up so look out for those too, our favourites are the Nyetimber Seafood Festival in Weymouth, The Sturminster Cheese Festival and The Great Dorset Chilli Festival but that really is just the tip of the iceberg and we don’t mean the lettuce kind! Many are free and have plenty of interest for the whole family. Some of the finest food in the UK can be found hereabouts, so don’t forget to take some home with you too! Find out more on the Dorset Food and Drink website.
