Dorchester Vegan Market

We visited the vegan market in the county town of Dorchester. It was held at Maumbury Rings in the south of Dorchester and it is a Neolithic henge. The large circular Earthworks was then later transformed into a Roman amphitheatre. And to this day it is still used for live entertainment for the people of Dorchester and surrounding areas.

I had not been to a vegan market before and was not sure what to expect. I’m not vegan but was very interested to find out what type of businesses would be there.

It was a bright day but there had been threats of showers so didn’t expect it to be busy….. but it was.

As we made our way around we discovered some very interesting and wonderful stalls and the first one we came to was THE BREAD DRINK LAB who were offering naturally fermented Cultured beverages called Kvas. With a selection of flavours and an opportunity to try and as I’m very fascinated by fermentation I had to take a closer look. After trying three flavours: Original Rye, Green and Ruby I was left with no choice but to purchase all three! These could be served over ice as a drink at a dinner party, but I am taking a small amount each morning as they are packed with billions of living cultures so as good as live yogurt for the gut. It’s low in sugar and free of anything artificial and tastes very good!

My next top find was a Weymouth based company which is just down the road from us and they are Beauty within Weymouth and Dorset. All their self care products are cruelty free and vegan and just beautiful! From foot soaks ( which I needed when I got home) to Marine fresh shower gel which just smells amazing and has real seaweed in it. There are some fabulous products and I will definitely be keeping them in mind when I start my Christmas shopping this year.

The next stall while I was still pondering on Christmas shopping ( never too early to get started) was FRUIT BODHI ORGANICS, a company just over the Somerset border that sells locally grown gourmet mushrooms. They were there with their mushroom kits. This would make the perfect gift for a foodie and I already know that’s another Christmas gift idea ticked off!

Now I love candles and anyone who knows me knows I love a good quality candle. So when I found THE VEGAN ORGANIC SKIN CARE COMPANY DEVON I had to have a look and sniff their candles, and they were fabulous. Lavender was my personal favourite and I took one home to burn and am very glad I did. Will possibly be buying some more for Christmas for myself !

One of the stalls was a Dorchester company SOPHIE NATASHA who hand makes the most beautiful bunting, drawstring bags, the most fabulous blankets and you have probably guessed it by now a whole range of Christmas goodies and these can all be personalised. Sofia lives in the county town and runs her business along side being a mummy to two little girls. It really is a family affair because as the business has expanded Sophie's mum and sister are now on board too.

One company in particular really caught my eye and I actually felt really excited at what they were offering. They are called Mack and I needed to know more, so we made an appointment to go and interview the guys at a later date. We will be posting a blog all about Mack very soon so keep a lookout.

There were some pretty sensational food stalls at the vegan market and a pizza stall that was extremely popular and as the pizza was packaged each got a beautiful sprinkle of edible flowers, such a lovely touch.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next Vegan market and go along and see what’s on offer. I think like me you will be very pleasantly surprised!