We are delighted that the Exmoor Food Fest will be back in February 2022 – once again, visitors and locals will be able to eat their way across Exmoor!
Are you a restaurant on or around Exmoor? Then join us for a celebration of the best hospitality and outstanding chefs.
The Exmoor Food Fest starts on 1 February and runs throughout the month.
Are you looking forward to eating out on Exmoor? If you want to be kept up to date, then please sign up to our newsletter.
Porlock. An eco-themed pop-up on Saturday 5 June 2021 is the first in a series of monthly events, animating and celebrating Porlock High Street, to aid recovery from Covid-19 lockdowns.
Funded by Somerset West & Taunton Council and organised by Porlock High Street Support Group, this event aims to draw the local community, as well as visitors, to the High Street in support of local traders.
Duncan McCanlis, Chair of the Porlock High Street Support Group, explained: “We are grateful to Somerset West & Taunton Council for providing the finance. This allows us to not only organise these community events, but we are also able to provide traders with a new online platform, put out more flower planters and benches around the High Street, all in support of Porlock’s amazing range of High Street shops.”
The first event will see a number of pop-up stalls along Porlock High Street where people will be able to buy and swap plants, find information about community projects, such as Plastic Free Porlock Vale, bring and take items at a freecycle table – and more.
Local children will be raising money towards the repair of the church clock by selling home-cut wild flowers outside St Dubricius Church.
“The series of six events will take place every first Saturday of the month, always with a focus on the High Street,” says Sarah Shorten, who heads the Events Team. “Each event will have a different theme, such as music or wellbeing, encouraging locals and visitors to rediscover a High Street and traders that are vibrant and authentic.”
The event this Saturday 5 June 2021 will run from 10 am to 2 pm.
More details about the event and Porlock traders can be found via the Porlock High Street Support Group’s Facebook Group
It’s that time of year again! If you are planning to go on a diet in February – forget it. The Exmoor Food Fest kicks off with a launch dinner at Kentisbury Grange on 28 January, and then it’s all go from 1 February for a whole month across Exmoor.
For the sixth year, restaurants across the region are celebrating the best our hospitality industry has to offer. Special deals for two and three courses invite people to try out new restaurants and new dishes. Many venues also have a special accommodation offer to allow customers to turn the evening out into a short holiday.
As a first in 2020, the learners from Foxes Hotel in Minehead will be joining in the fun of taking part in the Exmoor Food Fest.
Foxes Hotel is a very special hotel indeed. From the kitchen to the serving of the delicious food and the cleaning of the rooms, all jobs are being done by young people aged between 16 and 24 under the guidance of their teachers. Foxes is the UK’s only fully operating training hotel for young people with learning difficulties.
Foodie fans should also look out for special events. One event that is going to be quite different is the Winter Feast at Horner Farm on the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor. It will be rustic dinner in one of the barns, with a chance to try meat from Dexter cattle and sheep raised on the farm. This will be a unique experience where amazing food will be served at a very unusual location.
On the final weekend in February (29 Feb/1 March) a Taste Exmoor Food & Drink Festival beckons: Traders and local producers will be putting up their stalls at the Porlock Village hall. The Harbour Cafe & Gallery – who will also be offering special deals throughout February at their premises at Porlock Weir – will be running a cafe over this weekend, and there will be ample opportunity to try (and take home) lots of delicious food and drink from our region.
All participating restaurants will be revealed on the website www.exmoorfoodfest.com by the end of January 2020. Anyone wishing to plan their gourmet trip across Exmoor will be able to look up restaurants on a map and see what will be offered when and where.
(PS There is still time for restaurants and producers to sign up! Just drop us a line at info@exmoorevents.com and we’ll see what we can do for you)
This year, the shuttle bus will leave from Butlins, and parking at Warren car park in Minehead will be free on both Friday and Saturday.
There will also be buses running from Porlock, Williton, Watchet, Washford, Carhampton, Wheddon Cross, and Timberscombe. More information is available on the Dunster by Candlelight website.
19 NOV 2019: TASTING DINNER AT KNOWLE MANOR
Six Chefs – Six Courses
Followed by an Auction of Promises.
In aid of MIND in Somerset.
£85.00 per ticket (£25.00 wine flight optional)
7pm for 7.30pm
Chefs for Hope are organising a Tasting Dinner in support of the local charity MIND in Somerset which will take place on 19 November 2019 at Knowle Manor.
Six outstanding chefs will be cooking an exquisite six course dinner, providing guests with a top dining experience – James Mason, Ellis Pannell, Paul Berry, Olivier Certain, John Bradley and Liam Finnegan will be supported by learners from Foxes Hotel.
All chefs are from award-winning restaurants: James Mason, former Head Chef at Kentisbury Grange, now runs his own event company, New Coast Events. Ellis Pannell is Chef Patron of the Pyne Arms in North Devon, Paul Berry the Chef Patron of The Swan in Bampton, a Top50 Gastropub, where Olivier Certain is the head chef. John Bradley is the Chef Patron of Dunkery Beacon Country Hotel, and Liam Finnegan the head chef at The Castle in Taunton.
The dinner is in aid of the charity MIND in Somerset – Chefs for Hope are hoping to raise £5,000 to set up a youth service in Minehead for children with mental health issues in West Somerset. MIND in Somerset help young people who struggle with finding enjoyment in things that used to be fun, feel isolated and lonely and that life seems a bit pointless.
Chefs for Hope was set up by Mike Griffiths, former head chef at the Farmers Arms in Combe Florey, and Elke Winzer, organiser of the Exmoor Food Fest. The objective of Chefs for Hope is to help local charities raise much needed funds.
“We are delighted that six fantastic chefs are joining us for our first Tasting Dinner in November”, said Elke Winzer. “We are grateful to all of them to give up their time to help us raise money for MIND in Somerset.”
“Many chefs struggle with mental health, and supporting young people is a matter close to our hearts”, added Mike Griffiths. “We do hope that we will exceed our target of £5000 to be able to fund more than one youth group in West Somerset.”
The dinner will be followed by an Auction of Promises – information about the auctioneer and the items to be won will soon be published!
Tickets are available via the website http://www.chefsforhope.org
If you can’t make it, but still wish to contribute, then please consider supporting our Crowdfunder: 100% of the money donated will go straight towards our project.
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the night sky and wondered at what they saw. This wonder helped to define our sense of who we are, our myths and legends, our religious beliefs and a sense of our place in a wider cosmos. But the dark skies that were the night time backdrop for the vast majority of human history are for many of us now a rare sight. Our night times are filled with the orange glow of street lighting and we are all more likely to be looking at a television or a smartphone than gazing at the stars.
So why not take the time on Exmoor to look up and rediscover your sense of wonder? Good spots are Holdstone Hill, County Gate, Brendon Two Gates, Webbers Post, Anstey Gate, Haddon Hill and Wimbleball Lake. On a clear night the night sky of Exmoor is simply stunning when many astronomical sights can be seen through the naked eye and even more can be discovered through a telescope or binoculars.
To help you get the most from Exmoor’s dark skies we have produced a new Dark Skies Pocket Guide – download it here or pick up a copy from one of our National Park Centres where you can also hire a telescope ! – you can see one of the telescopes and and how to use them in this short video.
Here is the link to the full programme.
Good weather for stargazing? Check out the Exmoor Weather forecast from the Met Office here
At 6am on May Day, the drums can be heard across Minehead… The Sailor’s Hobby Horse will dance around town for three days .
Here is the official story:
It is an old May Day custom from The Quay, Minehead, which has continued for hundreds of years. The custom is so old that there is no accurate record of its commencement. In fact, the origin is lost in the mists of time.
The Sailor’s Hobby Horse comes out on the eve of May Day, and for the first three days of the month dances and frolics freely around the streets.
The Horse’s frame is made from withy sticks lashed together with tarred cord into the shape of a boat with a dome shaped head and a tin painted face. A mast is made fast to the head, and spliced to the after end is a length of rope with a cow’s tail made fast. The whole frame, head and rope tail is covered with brightly coloured ribbons, and attached and draped to the ground from the frame are sacks brightly painted with different coloured rings. This is the so-called “Horse”.
The “Horse” weighs about one-hundred weight. It is carried by one man dances to the sound of melodions and drums, and if folks fail to give the “Horse” a coin, the “Horse” aims it tail at them.
The Sailor’s Horse is accompanied by a drum which has dates back to the 17th century. It is legend that the original intention of the “Horse” was to scare away Danes and other invaders from the coast.
It is an important custom that the “horse” proceeds from The Quay over the hill through Old Minehead Town, knows as Higher Town, to arrive at White Cross at 6am on May 1st.
It has been known for one of the Bratton Maids to be crowned Queen of the May at this time; and it is legend that on that day and at that time a Dane was killed there. Also on this day it is a custom for the ‘Horse to proceed to Dunster Castle’.
On the third night there is a booting at Cher Steep, on the outskirts of Minehead, when victims are caught in the street and are booted ten times by the heavy fore bow of the “horse” while being held by the arms and legs by two members of the crew. There is then a further penalty for the victim to dance with the “Horse” while avoiding being lashed by its tail.
The booting is then repeated in Wellington Square, in the centre of town. and it is here that the old “horse” take his final bow of the festive season and after a light refreshment returns to his stable at The Quay until the following May Day Eve.
By invitation the “Horse” and its attendants have appeared twice at The Royal Albert Hall, London, The Commonwealth Institute London, The Universities of London and Exeter, two of the World Trade Fairs, at Brussels in Belgium and Olympia in London, the television programme “Pebble Mill at One” from Birmingham and The Assembly Rooms, Derby. The spectacle has been filmed for television and other purposes on numerous occasions.
THose connected with the “Horse” give their services freely. Money collected and donations received are disbursed to Minehead Mencap and the Minehead branch of the RNLI.
You can follow the Minehead Hobby Horse on Facebook. Here are some photos from the Official Minehead Sailor’s Hobby Horse FB page:
Date of Event: Friday, 1st March 2019
Location of Event: Stogumber Village Hall, Stogumber, Taunton, TA4 3TG
Website: www.stogumber.org.uk
The Guardians (Certificate 15) is the next film presented by Stogumber Cinema. It is directed by Xavier Beauvois and concentrates on those left behind rather than the battles being fought at the Front.
It is an affecting human drama of love, loss, and resilience. The women of the Paridier farm, under the deft hand of Hortense, the family’s matriarch (Nathalie Baye,) grapple with the workload while the men are off at the front. Hortense reluctantly brings in an outsider, a teenage orphan, Francine (Iris Bry), to help her daughter Solange (Laura Smet). Newfound independence is acquired, yet emotions are stirred especially when the men return from the front on short leaves. French with English subtitles.
Doors open at 7pm when a short film or trailer for the next film, Bohemian Rhapsody showing on Friday 5th April, will be screened with the main feature film starting at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be available including Styles ice-creams, tea, coffee and a range of drinks from the bar. Tickets are available from stogumbercinema@gmail.com or on the door, £5 adults, £3 accompanied under 16s.
G. D. Abson, author of “Motherland” will be at the Exmoor Store on 16 February 2019 from 2pm till 3pm.
Headshot of writer Garry Abson by Photographer Jonathan Bowcott
G.D. (alias Garry David) was born in County Durham and brought up on army bases in Germany and Singapore before returning to the UK. He developed a lifelong obsession with Russia after studying the revolution at school and Russian politics at university. He is the author of MOTHERLAND, the first in a series featuring Senior Investigator Natalya Ivanova battling crime, chauvinism and corruption in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Motherland was shortlisted for a Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger, and this Summer the novel was a “Star Pick” in The Times/Sunday Times Crime Club.
This is what people had to say about the gripping crime thriller set in the dark heart of Putin’s Russia:
‘The dark heart of Putin’s Russia beneath the glitz of St Petersburg provides the heady setting for this excellent and gripping debut. Abson, who was shortlisted for a Crime Writers Debut Dagger for Motherland, is surely a name to watch. A Child 44 for Putin-land, this classy page-turner oozes with atmosphere.’ –David Young, bestselling author of STASI CHILD and STASI WOLF
‘Senior Detective Natalya Ivanova does for St Petersburg what Martin Cruz Smith s Arkady Renko did for Gorky Park… taut, fast-moving and compellingly believable.’ –Tom Callaghan, author of A KILLING WINTER
‘Gripping, authentic and fast-paced this is a fine thriller that will delight fans of Martin Cruz Smith.’ –William Ryan, author of THE HOLY THIEF and THE BLOODY MEADOW
Dulverton based Exmoor Distillery will be here to explain all there is to know about Northmoor Gin. You can also buy gin from the Exmoor Store between 15 and 21 December – we are now taking pre-orders!
Here is a bit more info about Northmoor Gin:
Named after the historic estate of Northmoor, nestled amongst the steep wooded valleys on the southern edge of Exmoor, our Northmoor Gin is a delight for the discerning gin connoisseur. Light on the lips, this full-bodied gin, with 44% ABV, has a punchy three-dimensional taste, leaving a deliciously smooth flavour at the back of the mouth.
Our premium recipe packs an authentic taste sensation of the traditional juniper berry with personally chosen botanicals of angelica root, citrus and spice. Our gin, fine enough to sip neat over ice, comes into its own when mixed with a quality tonic to produce a classic G&T with wonderful citrus notes that linger on the palate, or as the premium ingredient to many a cocktail.
Harvested from September to January, there are over 50 species of juniper grown in the Northern hemisphere. Hand-picked by collectors in the mountains, only the very best berries and botanicals are sourced for our Northmoor Gin.
Located in the idyllic Somerset countryside, near the border of Devon, Exmoor Distillery sits on the southern gateway to Exmoor at Dulverton, on the edge of the Exmoor National Park.
This historic location, mentioned in the Domesday Book, is the perfect setting in which to distil one of the UK’s finest small batch artisan gins.
With the refined juniper flavour dancing in your mouth, where better to enjoy this premium spirit, than in the rolling hills and valleys of the English countryside at any time of year.
Developed from our own passion for fine spirits, Exmoor Distillery is a small family run distillery, sharing our love for a premium quality gin.
After sampling many of the world’s gins on our travels, there was nothing that quite hit the spot, so we decided to produce our own. Customers love the complex flavours of the juniper and botanicals that give our gin a decidedly country taste and smooth texture.
You can pre-order the Northmoor Gin from the Exmoor Store for pick-up between 15 and 21 December.
35cl = £19.95 70cl=£35.00
(Send payment via PayPal to exmoorstore@icloud.com using Family & Friends, call the shop on 01643 704788 to pay over the phone, order online or just pop into the shop!)
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