The Sturminster Newton
Cheese Festival

It was the perfect end to a wonderful holiday. We'd rented a holiday cottage in the little village of Bishop's Caundle. We'd spent a week cruising around Dorset on a tandem and had stocked our larder at our favourite olive store.

And then we saw the signs for the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. To be held just up the road from out cottage on our last day in Dorset!

Now we had a problem: we don't like crowds, but we love cheese. So what was one to do about that?

We decided to go early to avoid the rush and to leave when it got too busy. But did we? No, of course not. There was just so much going on that we barely noticed the crowds. We were simply part of it.

Set along the fording point for the Stour River, Sturminster Newton was once the site of a major creamery. And the town still has a passion for cheese.

Just watch the participants in the 'Cheese Blind Date' or engage in a jovial round of cheese 'Sniff, Squeeze and Taste' and you'll realise that cheese and 'Stur' go together.

Held on the recreation ground between the town and the river, the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year when it opens for cheese and entertainment on September 12th and 13th.

There is plenty of free parking and entrance fees are modest, costing £3 ($6) for each visitor over 14 years of age. The under 14 crowd get in for free.

And once you're in, you'll find that the food for sale and on display is simply the best Dorset and the neighbouring counties have to offer.

Of course, there is cheese, as local artisan cheese makers turn out in force for this event. Crowds cluster round each stand tasting new creations, looking for old favourites. And while other festivals may produce a commemorative coin or coaster, Sturminster Newton's festival has a commemorative cheese! If you want a taste of that, you'll have to get there very early.

So joining the cheerful throngs we tried soft cheeses, goats cheeses, hard cheeses and blue cheeses - and they were all exceptional.

Our find of the show? The best Cheddar we'd ever come across from Godminster Farms in Somerset. Absolutely to die for!

Man cannot live on cheese alone - even though we do try! So other producers offering olives, many fine baked goods, jams, meats and homemade taste delights galore have opened their stalls beside those of the cheese makers.

Many local farms also bring their produce to the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival, which means you can do your weekly shop right here!

I can personally vouch for the pasties, the sourdough bread and the olives!

And if you want liquid refreshment, then you are spoilt for choice. The products on offer range from freshly squeezed apple juice and home-made lemonade, through cider, perry and real ale to local English wine and Dorset Cider Brandy!

Still, there's a more than food at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. Close to 50 other exhibitors display craft items, which are as varied as the food.

If you want unique one-of-a-kind jewellery, there are several booths that sport hand made jewellery.

Home-made leather hats and bags can top off your distinct look. Or you may want to use the festival as a time to locate that hard-to-find Christmas gift for the person that has everything. There are home-made soaps, garden furniture, stained and fused glass, silk paintings and more.

Entertainment is not limited to the bands that play at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. There's a Punch and Judy show, Morris dancing and more for the children.

If you have a passion for knowledge this is the perfect place for you to spend the day. The Mousetrap theatre has very popular cookery and food demonstrations.

You can learn about the production of cheese and bread or about flour milling. There's a plethora of history in the town including some about its more famous citizens, poet William Barnes and novelist Thomas Hardy.

The Sturminster Newton Cheese festival has it all. Spend a glorious day shopping the stalls of the market and looking for local delicacies you'll find nowhere else.

If you've shopped 'til you dropped, enjoy the music and a bit of ale or wander through the town to view the local architecture and historical sites of the town.

I know I said we don't like crowds ... but we'll be going back this year. The cheese is just too good to miss!