Black Cow on the Blog!

Back in the summer, I attended a delightful tasting evening with Black Cow (BC) at Vinny at 6 in Dorchester. Two of my favourite things & I fell in love with Black Cow Vodka just a little bit more, especially with all the amazing concoctions we had in puddings & cocktails.

Big shout out to Zach for organising a top-notch event! If you haven’t been to any of the Vinny at 6 events, you really should check them out. Head over to their Facebook or Instagram page & make sure you’re following them, as they sell out pretty sharpish.

After the event, I got in touch with the lovely folk behind Black Cow Vodka who are nestled over the hill near Beaminster in West Dorset & they were happy to take part in an interview for Country Bumpkin Chic. The first of a few festive posts.

CBC Q1) So, for anyone who hasn’t heard of Black Cow Vodka, is it really made from cow’s milk?

BC A1) Yes, indeed it really is! Black Cow is made entirely from the milk of grass grazed cows on England’s West Dorset coast. Fresh whole milk makes an exceptionally smooth vodka with a deliciously creamy character

CBC Q2) How did founders Jason Barber & Paul Archard come up with that unique idea?

BC A2) The unique recipe is the invention of West Dorset dairy farmer  Jason  Barber. His inspiration came from a desire to diversify the produce from his 250 strong dairy herd & his personal love of vodka.

CBC –  Wow, well who doesn’t love vodka?

Black Cow Vodka founder Jason with his herd of dairy cows

CBC Q3) Is it a fact or myth that after drinking Black Cow Vodka, you don’t have a hangover the next morning?

BC A3) Very true – our founder, Jason often says its so smooth, he can drink it until the cows come home!

CBC – think I’ve found my new Christmas party drink!

CBC Q4) What’s the best cheese accompaniment for Black Cow Vodka?

BC A4) Our deluxe Cheddar, of course! We use all of the milk with no waste, the vodka is made from the whey & the cheese is made from the curds.

CBC Q5) What Black Cow cocktail would you recommend our readers trying?

BC A5) Ooh good one. We’d recommend a delicious warm cocktail called the ‘The Mooled Cranberry’. This cocktail has it all - fruitiness from the blood orange & cranberry, spice from the cloves & charged with vodka. 

CBC Q6) Where can we buy Black Cow Vodka in the shops?

BC A6) You can find Black Cow Vodka in Sainsbury’s, Majestic, M&S, Morrisons & various speciality farm shops across Dorset.

CBC Q7) There are lots of gorgeous items on your shop including the cow print glasses, but what I’m sure everyone will want to know is where can you buy the gold straws featured on Instagram from?

BC A7) Since Black Cow’s inception we have consciously tried to create a sustainable, green working culture. & we’re concerned about the world’s waste crisis, as the UK discards a staggering 8.5 billion plastic straws a year - that’s an average of approximately 130 straws per person per year!

So, we wanted to offer an alternative to the plastic straw & have developed a gift pack with a 24-carat gold plated stainless steel straw. You can shop the gift pack here. 

CBC - they’re gorgeous & I’m impressed that BC is doing their bit for the environment. If anyone wants to buy me this set for Christmas, it would make me very happy!

CBC Q8) Do you do tours of your distillery & can we come?

BC A8) Yes, we do! Our next distillery tour and lunch is on 15^th December. You can find out more details here.

CBC Q9) What’s coming up for Black Cow Vodka, any other collaborations, new flavours, & anything special for Xmas?

BC Q9) We’ve got some very exciting launches in 2019, but sadly can’t share any more details just yet! However, we have recently launched a ‘Travellers Edition’ mini for the Christmas period – the perfect stocking filler or bauble to hang from your Christmas Tree.

CBC Q10) What events or festivals can we see you out & about in 2019?

BC Q10) We’re in the process of planning events for next year, & hope to take The Black Cow Saloon to another festival closer to London & collaborate with a high profile sporting event right here in Dorset!

For NYE we’re hosting a party at Mark’s Bar, Soho where guests will enjoy live music & delicious bespoke cocktail menu. To be the first to hear about our exciting news, please sign up to our mailing list. 

Thanks, Black Cow for taking part in the County Bumpkin Chic interview, we look forward to seeing the exciting ideas come to life in 2019!

What other west country or Dorset based brands would you like to hear from on the Country Bumpkin Chic blog – let me know in the comments box below.

Dorchester Literary Festival – an interview with Janet Gleeson

Next week is the Dorchester Literary Festival in Dorset, now in its fourth year & with a fab line up I caught up with Co-Director Janet Gleeson to get the low down on the festival.

Hi Janet, thank you for agreeing to chat with Country Bumpkin Chic…

For those who’ve not heard about the Dorchester Literary Festival, can you give us a brief overview?

It’s an annual 5-day event where we invite a very broad range of leading writers and other inspirational people to come to Dorchester to talk about their latest book. Talks last for about an hour, some are interviews or ‘in conversation events’ some standalone talks, but we always leave time for the audience to ask questions. Afterwards, you can buy the books and have them signed.

How long has the Dorchester Literary Festival been running for?

This is our fourth festival. In our first year, we began with just three days and 15 events, but it’s grown and now we have around double that.

How long have you been involved in the festival & what’s your role?

I’m a founding Co-Director and started the festival with a friend and fellow author Paul Atterbury. This means I get to choose the speakers and chat with them when they visit. But it also means making all the arrangements and worrying if things go wrong.

Paul & Janet

Which authors are coming to Dorchester?

We have an amazing line up this year including Judy Murray, Jeremy Vine, Joanna Trollope, Mark Billingham, Lisa Jewell, Peter Snow, Mark Austin, Lynne Truss and Julian Fellowes are some of the great names. The books we are featuring cover all sorts of subjects: the Suffragettes, Byron, Health, Yetis, Foraging, Rainforests, Orchids, International Veterinary practice, and much more.

Where can we go & watch them?

Events are held at three main locations in Dorchester – Duke’s Galleries, The Corn Exchange, and Thomas Hardye School Theatre. Our website www.dorchesterliteraryfestival.com has all the details.

Who is the Dorchester Literary Festival aimed at?

Anyone and everyone – we deliberately choose as varied a programme as possible so there’s something for everyone, whatever their interests.

Who are you most looking forward to watching or meeting? Will you get a chance to go to all the events?

I don’t see them all as I’m usually rushing about although I see snippets of most. This year I am really excited about the incredible Tara Westover, who was raised in a Mormon family, didn’t go to school till her late teens, yet managed to get to Cambridge – Her book Educated is a wonderful memoir and she’s only 29. The book was a best seller, book of the week on Radio 4, Barrack Obama has tweeted about her - and she’s coming to Dorchester!

Have you been to any other Literary Festival’s this year?

No – I’ve been too busy sorting out the Dorchester Festival and moving house, but I love Appledore in Devon, it’s in a really beautiful location.

And what book are you currently reading? And which one of the authors coming to the DLF are you most looking to read?

I’m reading Dr Dawn Harper’s book Live Well to 101 and trying to take the advice on board! I’m going to read more Lisa Jewell, she’s one of our featured crime writers - her books are real page turners!

Finally, where can we buy tickets from?

You can buy online from the website www.dorchesterliteraryfestival.com or from Dorchester Tourist Information Centre in Dorchester Library. Tickets are £10 or three for £25.

Part 3: HiHo Silver - Style, Skills & Silver with Emma Warren

Last but not least in this 3 part interview series, is the lovely Emma Warren who is MD at HiHo Silver & the brains behind the Style, Skills & Silver event. She is also the one who’s behind the HiHo Silver Instagram handle & is always so responsive & witty in her responses.

Thank you Emma for coming on Country Bumpkin Chic, please can you give the readers an overview of your role at HiHo Silver.

Well, we’re a small team so we all have to be multi-talented and turn our hands to most things. In the main, I tend to be the one who is working on brand development with Rhea Freeman, some designing, a bit of donkeywork and a lot of social media!

Part 2: HiHo Style, Skills & Silver with Melanie from Mackenzie & George

Tonight we go behind the scenes of the HiHo Silver Style, Skills & Silver event with British accessories owner Melanie Clarihew from Mackenzie & George, who will be hosting one of the Style sessions.

Hey Melanie, thanks for finding time between preparations for a busy Burghley Horse Trials to get involved in the 3 part series of interviews on HiHo Silver's inaugural Style, Skills & Silver event.

Part 1: HiHo Style, Skills & Silver with Rhea Freeman

It’s not often that an event pops up in your newsfeed that makes you reach for the credit card straight away. But when British equestrian jeweller HiHo Silver launched tickets for their Style, Skills & Silver event in the Cotswolds, I knew I had to go & be part of the day on 6^th September.

With only 4 nights to go until we all meet at The Fish Hotel in the beautiful Cotswolds I wanted to get an insight into what the day will hold, & caught up with a few of the team behind the inaugural Style, Skills & Silver event. First up on the blog is equestrian PR & marketing guru Rhea Freeman who will be hosting one of the Skills sessions.

Interview with Katy Howell from Bayside Bakery

For those who follow me over on Instagram @becky_wren will know that I posted some very yummy photos of brownies from the Dorset Food & Arts Festival earlier in August after discovering the Bayside Bakery stand. And let me tell you, they didn’t last long!

I love supporting local businesses, especially the edible ones, so was thrilled when Katy from Bayside Bakery agreed to be interviewed for the Country Bumpkin Chic blog.

Hey Katy, thank you so much for agreeing to appear on the CBC blog to chat about Bayside Bakery…

You’re welcome, it’s always nice to talk about chocolate brownies!