Dorset is famous for the quality of its food and drink. . But there are some dishes that are singular only to Dorset how many have you heard of.
Dorset Apple Cake
The area is well known for its apple cake. What better way to cheer up a cold grey day than a slice of Dorset apple cake with, if you like, a dollop of thick cream or custard or even a dollop of clotted cream. Often made with spices including cinnamon.
Dorset Blue Vinney
Dorset Blue Vinny is a traditional crumbly cheese the name itself comes from a local Dorset term related to the obsolete word “vinew”, which means to become mouldy. The cheese actually became extinct for a short while before resurging in the 1980’s when Woodbridge Farm in Dorset revived the old recipe, and it is now producing the cheese again.
Portland Lamb
Once common all over Dorset, the breed was once one of the rarest in Britain and is still at risk. It nearly became extinct in the 1970s. Portland Sheep produce high-quality meat with a fine texture and excellent flavour.
Dorset Jugged Steak
This traditional Dorset dish was often prepared to be eaten on days when the fair came to town. Jugging is a method of slow cooking which retains all the flavours of the meat while mingling them with those of the other ingredients.
Dorset Horn
Dorset Horn is a lamb dish so tender and will simply melt in your mouth. Can be found in eateries or buy from the butcher or the local farmer’s market.
Seafood
The waters off Dorset offer a wide range of seafood with a choice of over 40 different species. The range covers shellfish like oysters and mussels which are harvested in the clear waters around Poole and Portland, crab and lobster found all along the Dorset coast. Also flatfish like Dover sole, plaice and dab and round-fish like sea bass, pollock and the ever-popular mackerel.
Portland Pudding
Rich pudding made with dried fruit and candied peel. Formerly a speciality of the 'Portland Arms' on the Isle of Portland, and several times ordered there by King George III during his stays at nearby Weymouth.
Dorset Knobs
Dorset Knobs are a hard dry savoury biscuit which is now produced by only a single producer, for a limited time of the year. Dorset knobs are typically eaten with cheese.