Author: Caroline Campbell

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Chettle Orchard Campsite

Some campsites are just a place to lay your head at night before going out to explore the wider world.

Chettle Orchard Campsite is not one of those campsites. You won’t want to leave this gem of a place nestled in the Dorset countryside, despite the plethora of wonderful local attractions that surround it. It’s a destination in itself, a place to relax, recharge your batteries, and immerse yourself in its old-school vibe and stunning surroundings. This is camping how your mum and dad did it, and it’s perfect.

Chettle Orchard Campsite opened last year, and offers camping pitches as well as pre-pitched bell tents that can be rented furnished or unfurnished. We were three adults and two children in a furnished tent, which came with soft pillows and duvets and crisp sheets, crockery and cutlery, as well as fresh local fruit and pear juice and Prosecco on ice to welcome us.

The campsite’s communal area

Each tent provides plenty of space so that you’re not listening to the family next door having breakfast, as well as a picnic table and benches and a dug out fire pit – firewood is available on site and in the local shop.

There are compost loos and showers, as well as washing up facilities, and a lovely communal area with rustic haystacks and throw cushions where you can settle down with one of the many books dotted around. I enjoyed losing myself in a 1980s Good Housekeeping recipe book, a trip down memory lane!

Local yoga teacher Jordana offers morning yoga, which takes place in the communal gazebo in the centre of the site. We couldn’t think of a better way to start off the day than saluting the sun looking out across the stunning Dorset landscape, with Jordana’s soothing encouragement in a gentle session for all levels and abilities.

Chettle local Liam offers foraging walks, which last two hours and leave from the campsite. The walk comes at a fraction of the price of other similar sessions – only £10 per person, with concessions – and worth every penny.

The walk began with some home made pineapple weed juice, made using a pineapple weed syrup that Liam had created – it tasted so good! This was followed by some of his delicious home made seed flapjacks before setting off on our walk. We learned so much in two hours – from how to find a soothing ready made plant gel to put on stings and burns, where to pick flowers that steeped in tea will give you lucid dreams, which herbs will stem bleeding and how to spot and prepare nutritious seeds that can be added to dishes for flavour and bite. It was a fantastic experience and we enjoyed every minute – suitable for children and adults alike.

Liam points out some Queen Anne’s lace on our foraging walk.

Another highlight of Chettle is its lovely, quirky village shop, which sells everything from firewood to locally made candles, fresh fruit and veg and vegan marshmallows for toasting over the fire. There are big plans to move the shop to the Food Hub that the village is planning to open in a few years time… more on that later. For now, it’s a charming place to do a little shopping.

You won’t want to miss a stroll around the village after a visit to the shop. Walk through the dreamy thatched cottages to the amazing kid’s playpark (even adult sized kids won’t be able to resist a bounce on the trampolines and jumping aboard the life sized ship) and then up through the old dairy farm that has been completely reclaimed by nature, abundant with wildflowers and some particularly juicy blackberries.

Our bell tent

You could spend your time at Chettle Orchard never leaving the village, but if you do choose to venture further, there’s plenty to do.

The campsite adjoins The Jubilee Way, which links four counties and runs through Dorset’s AONB, Cranborne Chase, and the Chalke Valley – all stunningly beautiful. If you don’t want to take your car, you can walk for miles with the village as your starting point and be back in time for sausages and marshmallows over the campfire. Further afield, there’s Tisbury for river and lake walks, about 25 minutes from Chettle.

If you fancy some swimming, head to Fiddleford Manor as we did. It’s about 20 minutes drive from the campsite, with a lovely river that drops down into tiered weirs and a pond to swim in. There’s also a great spot just outside of Downton with a bridge you can dive off into crystal clear waters – take a right as you exit out of the village heading into the New Forest. Godshill is also a beautiful spot on the same river that’s hidden under the treeline. It takes some finding and can get busy in the summer but is worth it!

If the sea is calling, the world famous Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are a 40 minute drive. away. Both get very busy but are amazing places to swim, though Durdle is for competent swimmers only – there’s quite a pull as you swim back through the door to the shore. Both are unforgettable swims though and worth the journey!

That is Colin, honestly! At Durdle Door.

Chettle is owned by local landowner Alice Favre, who has big plans for the village. A committed environmentalist, together with the local community she is spearheading a fifty year plan designed to mitigate the worst effects of climate change in the village and ensure that Chettle is somewhere that future generations can live, work and thrive.

As well contribute to tackling climate change, her vision is for a community that has future-proofed itself by leading a diverse response to climate change through investing in a sustainable future. It’s a compelling case. Regenerative farming, agriforesty, rewilding, and moving away from destructive industrial practises that have damaged food production to ones that look to a natural balance are all ideas that are increasingly finding purchase among forward-looking farmers, landowners, organisations and so on. Key to this is the community having a greater connection to the land, and key to that is improving access.

Central to Chettle’s plan is their Food Hub initiative, which will make use of an old dairy farm in the village centre. The space will be transformed into a hub with a cafe and new shop, offering local, ethically sourced produce. Locals and visitors will be able to purchase products grown or produced within a few miles of the shop, reinforcing that hugely important connection between consumer and the land.

As well as restoring the old dairy, Alice and her fellow directors have also led on the restoration of local housing, increasing capacity and helping to grow the community, though demand it seems far outstrips supply – plenty of people want to live here, and for us at least, the campsite with its easy-going and super comfortable bell tents was a perfect solution.

Chettle can be reached by bus from Southampton Central rail station. It’s about two hours drive from London if you’re taking the car.

Prices start at £28 per night for a grass pitch and £100 per night for a fully furnished bell tent. You can book here.

Useful Links

Find Jordana, our yoga teacher, at @forage_and_flow on Instagram

Find Liam’s foraging walks on Instagram at @walkingpaceonly

Chettle Orchard Campsite

Chettle Village Store

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Vegan Jackfruit Chilli

This vegan jackfruit chilli is an easy weeknight meal that can be thrown together quickly and tastes delicious! The jackfruit has a meaty chicken like texture and is a tasty hero ingredient in this flavourful dish. This recipe feeds four.

Ingredients

300g basmati rice

2 x 400g cans jackfruit in water – we used this – drained and chopped

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 x 400g chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium white onion, chopped

500ml vegetable stock

300ml plant milk

1 x cob of corn, cooked with corn shucked off

2 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sour cream –

200g raw cashews, soaked overnight

160 ml water

Juice of 1 lemon

Teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Teaspoon salt

Coriander, to garnish.

Method

Make the sour cream by blending all of the ingredients – cashews, water, lemon, mustard, cider vinegar and salt – in a blender until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate.

Heat the olive oil in a wok and gently sauté the onions until they are slightly golden. Add the jackfruit, spices, and garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes. Slowly add the milk and broth, followed by the beans, chickpeas, corn and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, covering the wok.

Cook the rice while the chilli is simmering, using 600 ml of water.

Divide the rice and chilli into four bowls with a spoonful of sour cream and top and garnished with coriander.

If you like this, try our vegan smoked salmon blinis with sour cream.

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Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

This vegan chocolate peanut butter cake is a bit decadent, and I’d love to say we made it for a special occasion, but actually it was just a dull day outside and we wanted to do a bit of baking, there was some peanut butter and some chocolate on the shelves at the shop, and the rest is history! A showstopper for special occasions, but also brilliant just because a day with chocolate peanut butter cake in it is always going to be a good day, no matter what else happens in it!

As well as the ingredients, you’ll ideally need three round baking tins to make this cake.

Ingredients

For the icing

400g dark chocolate plus 50g chocolate to grate

600ml soya cream (we used Alpro)

2tbsp golden caster sugar

For the cake

200g vegan butter

600ml plant milk

4tbsp apple cider vinegar

100g peanut butter, smooth or chunky – we used chunky

500g self raising flour

100g cocoa powder

3 tsp baking powder

500g caster sugar

Method

Grease the cake tins with a little butter.

Combine the wet ingredients – the cider vinegar, butter, plant milk and peanut butter.

In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder. Add the wet ingredients and combine until the batter is smooth.

Divide the mixture and add to the three cake tins.

Bake in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas4 until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean, usually around 30 minutes.

Let the cakes cool.

Make the icing by melting the chocolate and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water on the stove. Add the cream and stir together to make a ganache, then use to sandwich the cooled cakes together and to ice the top cake.

Grate the 50g chocolate on top of the cake and serve!

If you liked this, try our vegan salted caramel chocolate cake.

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Vegan Cheese and Onion Bread

Delicious slathered with butter, stuffed with whatever filling you choose, or dipped in houmus, this vegan cheese and onion bread probably won’t last very long if your house is anything like ours!

Ingredients

400g strong white bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 sachet yeast

100g grated vegan cheese (we used Applewood smoky

Six spring onions, finely chopped

250ml warm water

Method

If you want to make the bread the easy way, and you have a bread maker, you can make the dough in that.

Otherwise, combine the flour, yeast, and salt then gradually add the warm water to form a dough.

Add the cheese and onion and mix until they are well combined.

Put the dough, whether made by hand or in a bread maker, in a clean bowl and cover with a tea towel, leaving it somewhere warm until it has doubled in size.

Knead the dough a little more on a floured surface then add to your baking tin. Leave it another hour or so to rise further.

Bake in the oven at 180/220 C until it’s golden – this will usually take around 40 minutes.

Serve with butter and try not to eat it all at once!

If you like this, try our vegan fennel and olive rolls.

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Vegan Asparagus Chickpea Donuts

Who says donuts have to be sweet? These vegan asparagus chickpea donuts are a great party canape, or brilliant as a light lunch or afternoon snack.

The gomasio salt is a perfect garnish if you can get your hands on some to season the chickpeas, otherwise just use a sprinkle of rock salt.

Makes eight donuts.

Ingredients

180g asparagus

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, diced

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp vegan mayo

1 can chickpeas

2/and a half cups flour

1 and a half cup plant milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium silicone donut mould – we used this one

Gomasio salt, to season.

Handful parsley, to garnish.

Method

First, steam the asparagus for three minutes.

At the same time, fry the diced onion until slightly golden.

Blend the asparagus and onion with the olive oil and lemon in a blender to make a smooth asparagus cream.

Add half the asparagus cream to the flour, salt, baking powder and plant milk to make the donut batter. Spoon the mixture into the donut mould and bake at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Set the other half of the asparagus cream aside.

While the donuts are baking, put 100ml of water in a pan and heat the drained rinsed chickpeas in it over a low heat for five minutes, stirring regularly. Drain and mix with the mayo.

Ten minutes before taking the donuts from the oven, drizzle the carrot slices in oil and roast them so they are crispy. The thinner the slices the better, so use a mandolin if you can.

Let the donuts cool. To serve, slice them in half and spread wit the asparagus cream in the middle, then put them back together. Top with the chickpea mixture, pushing it inside the donut with a spoon, and a carrot slice. Season with a little gomasio or rock salt and garnish with a little parsley.

If you liked this, try our vegan salmon en croute.

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Our First Weekend in Cornwall

Cornwall has been on our bucket list for years. The name conjures up visions of surfers, beaches, blue skies, and pretty villages. It was also somewhere that felt too far for us to travel to from Scotland, and as soon as we moved down south last year we knew it was only a matter of time before we visited.

Our first weekend in Cornwall was spent over the Jubilee weekend at the beginning of June, staying at the wonderful Mousehole FC campsite in west Cornwall. This clean, peaceful campsite uses the local football club’s facilities, and is open to campervans and tents, and pets (there was even a cat staying while we were there!) and is run by the delightful Sue and Paul, who are incredibly helpful and welcoming. There are toilets, showers and washing up facilities in the clubhouse, thought it is a couple of minutes walk from the site, so if you’d prefer not to do that in the middle of the night you might want to take your own toilet tent. The village of Mousehole itself is a ten/fifteen minute walk though be warned – the way back to the campsite from the village includes a very steep hill!

A view from our pitch.

On our first day, we walked from Mousehole to Penzance, via Newlyn. Mousehole itself is a delight, a picture-postcard harbour village filled with chocolate box perfect houses, gorgeous little independent shops selling arts, crafts, souvenirs and, of course ice-cream (including vegan flavours), and a harbour and golden beach where we saw people swimming, paddle-boarding and surfing.

Mousehole Harbour

It’s an hour’s walk along the coastal path from Mousehole to the larger town of Penzance, via Newlyn, a pretty fishing port whose biggest claim to fame is that it was the last stop of the Mayflower before it set sail for America.

Penzance itself perhaps doesn’t have the charm of Mousehole, as a larger working town, but we still enjoyed a delightful swim from its sandy beach before spending an hour with Eureka Escapes in their Penzance escape rooms (they also have them in Truro and Falmouth). I’d booked this as a way of spending what had been predicted to be a rainy afternoon, even though the sun ended up shining! Sadly, we didn’t solve the mystery in the allotted hour – we’d have got it with another minute or two – but it was all great fun and I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a family activity while in Cornwall. Our only criticism of Penzance was that we struggled to find any vegan lunch options – though there are a large Tesco and Sainsbury’s on the edge of town so do go prepared if you’re vegan and visiting.

We rounded off the day with dinner at the Ship Inn in Mousehole, after catching the (frequent) bus back from Penzance. We all had the vegan banana blossom fish and chips, which were absolutely delicious with a flaky fish texture and delectable crispy batter – highly recommended! They also do B&B if you’re looking for somewhere to stay.

Banana blossom fish and chips at the Ship Inn in Mousehole

We started our second day visiting Land’s End. Having visited John O’Groats on the way to Orkney a few years ago, Land’s End was very much on our to do list. It’s a short drive from Mousehole, and a real contrast to John O’Groats, which was pretty much visitor-free when we went there. Land’s End was absolutely packed full of visitors in contrast. It has far more of a theme-park feel as you arrive, and after paying the mandatory parking fee you can make your way round well-stocked shops, restaurants, diners, and visitor experiences where you can buy everything from Cornish pasties to old fashioned sweets. We were a bit taken aback at first to see that you had to pay a photographer to take your picture at the famous Land’s End sign, but with the hordes of visitors it completely made sense and meant there was an orderly queue where everybody took a turn to pose for their photo – and the resulting photo was fantastic.

The view from Land’s End

The views from Land’s End are stunning, and you can see all the way out to the Scilly Isles. There are some beautiful nature walks nearby too, though we didn’t do any on this occasion as I’d hurt my foot (it’s amazing how big a blister a pair of new sandals can produce!).

Then it was on to St Ives, which was every bit as beautiful as the guide books promised. And every bit as busy as we’d been warned! We ditched the car in a car park on the outskirts of the town and took a bus into the centre, where we spent an afternoon walking around and taking in the delights of this absolute jewel in Cornwall’s crown – the golden, sandy beach with its hustle and bustle, the colourful harbour, the lovely shops and galleries, the many and varied cafes and restaurants (we had vegan fish and chips and vegan ice cream from the Coned stall on the beach front) and the wonderful Tate St Ives where we whiled away an hour admiring the paintings and installations. St Ives’ reputation as one of the prettiest UK beach resorts is well deserved . I guess it could be said that it was a little bit TOO busy on a hot June afternoon, so if crowds aren’t your thing, it’s maybe somewhere to visit out of season.

Vegan ice cream in St Ives – does life get any better than this?

Portcuthno Beach was our last stop on our Cornwall weekend. This award-winning beach is one of Cornwall’s most famous, and it’s not hard to see why. The sandy beach sits within a dramatic cove, with the famous Minack Theatre carved from the rocks on one side. It’s a perfect swimming and surfing beach, with clear, cool sea that is actually turquoise! Again, though, if you prefer to avoid the crowds, another beach may be more up your street – we visited early evening and it was still packed. It’s also not the easiest beach to get to, with a narrow road that took us quite a while to navigate as it’s filled with bottlenecks and traffic jams – apparently this is quite normal. If you can, consider parking further up the road and walking down …

Porthcurno Beach and some of the bluest sea I’ve ever seen.

As always when camping, at the campsite we ate our body weight in vegan bacon rolls, toasted marshmallows, and a few slightly more healthy things – including our vegan brown butter gnocchi and vegan jambalaya, two camping favourites.

We’ll leave you with a few Cornwall tips that we picked up along the way!

  1. It takes a long time to get to Cornwall, even from the south east. The roads aren’t great, and the traffic is heavy. We left Mousehole at midday, and didn’t get back to Cambridge until early evening. Which leads us on to;
  2. Give yourself plenty of time to get to any beaches you want to visit once you’re in Cornwall. The traffic can really be something at peak times.
  3. Book ahead. We missed out on St Michael’s Mount and the Minack Theatre because we didn’t plan ahead and try to book until the day before, when they were sold out – we’ll save them for next time, but if something’s on your must-do list for your trip, book well in advance.
  4. It can be difficult to get around without a car, but it’s doable – just make sure you plan ahead and consult timetables so you don’t end up stranded!
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Vegan Brown Butter Gnocchi

This vegan brown butter gnocchi really is one of the simplest and tastiest vegan meals you can throw together. It’s a particularly good camping dinner because it’s so quick and easy, with only four ingredients – gnocchi, butter, lemon and sage – and takes minutes to prepare. Fresh sage is best as its earthy, sharp taste complements the sweet, salty butter flavour perfectly. We are lucky enough to have a sage bush in our garden, but you should be able to find it easily in the fresh produce aisle.

Serves two.

Ingredients

1 packet vegan gnocchi (we used these)

2 tbsp salted butter (we used Naturli)

2 handfuls of fresh sage leaves

1 unwaxed lemon

Method

Heat the butter in a pan until melted, stirring until it turns foamy then add the sage leaves and fry for a minute or so till they go dark green.

Set the sage leaves aside and add the gnocchi, frying on each side until they are golden.

Add 100ml boiling water to the pan, and cook the gnocchi for another couple of minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

If you like this, try our vegan beetroot egg mayo toasts.

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Vegan Salmon En Croute

Salmon en croute seemed like one of the trickier recipes that I could try to veganise, but it turned out pretty good! Before going vegan, I would usually eat salmon en croute with potatoes on the side, but this recipe has them inside the pastry – combined with the dill, vegan salmon and cream cheese, it tastes amazing!

Ingredients

1 can banana blossom, drained and chopped into chunks

4 tbsp vegan cream cheese

2 tbsp dill

Juice of one lemon

2 tbsp dried seaweed

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

8 new potatoes, boiled and mashed

Tbsp plant milk, to glaze

Method

Combine the banana blossom in a bowl with the cream cheese, mashed potato, dill, seaweed, and lemon juice. Cover the bowl in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour or more to let the flavours combine.

Line a pastry dish with half of the pastry, and spoon the mixture inside. Cover with the other half of the pastry, sealing the edges and creating a glaze with a little plant milk.

Bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Serve with a green salad and peas.

If you like this, try our vegan crab omelette!

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Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup. Is there anything more comforting on a sad day, or a rainy day, or a sit -on-the-sofa-under-a-blanket-watching-Netflix day? Luckily, vegans don’t have to miss out on this nourishing soul food, with our vegan chicken noodle soup recipe!

Makes two large bowls of soup.

Ingredients

1 can of banana blossom, drained and chopped into chunks

1 litre vegan chicken stock – we used these stock cubes

1 medium onion, finely sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp fennel seed

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Handful of coriander, to garnish

1 cake vegan noodles – we used these

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion till it begins to brown.

Add the banana blossom ‘chicken’, the spices, garlic and butter beans.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then leave to simmer gently for up to an hour. Five minutes before turning off the heat, add the noodle cake and let the noodles cook.

Garnish with a little coriander, and serve.

If you liked this, try our vegan knishes with potato and dill.

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Vegan Crab Omelette

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I believe there is nothing that can’t be veganised, so when I saw a recipe for crab omelette online, I was up for the challenge! I’m a late convert to the wonder that is banana blossom, and knew right away that it would be the hero ingredient in this dish. Our vegan daughter said that she thought this vegan crab omelette was one of the best dishes I’ve made in eleven years of being vegan, which is praise indeed! I hope you love it just as much as we did.

This makes two omelettes.

Ingredients

1 can banana blossom, drained, rinsed, and chopped finely

1 tablespoon dried seaweed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

260g gram (chickpea) flour

16 oz water

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp kala namak

Parsley, sprouts (I used sprouted alfalfa), spring onion and lemon to garnish

1 tsp and 1 tbsp cooking oil

Method

Make the crab meat by combining the banana blossom, lemon, soy sauce, seaweed and parsley.

Heat a tsp of cooking oil in a small pot and place the crab meat in it to warm through, stirring frequently.

Heat a tbsp of cooking oil in a frying pan. Combine the gram flour, water, turmeric and kala namak and pour into the hot pan, sliding a spatula to loosen round the edge.

Once the underside is cooked, flip the omelette over and add the warm crab meat to the top.

Once the other side of the omelette is cooked, fold the omelette over the crab meat and serve garnished with lemon, parsley, chopped spring onion and sprouted grains.

If you like this, try our vegan smoked salmon blinis with sour cream.