Screen Bites 2012 Visiting North Cadbury on 2nd November

The Screen Bites Food Film Festival is now in its 8th year and shows no signs of slowing. That is, unless the organisers decided to stop, of course. Screen Bites is a non-profit organisation operated by volunteers, formulated to entertain audiences with feature films involving food while promoting the wondrous and unique food producers based in and around Dorset.

Each year the festival has comprised 15-20 events taking place in as many seemingly random village halls scattered throughout Dorset (mostly), with the occasional exception straying into our own fair county. There's been a couple in Charlton Musgrove in the last two years, one before and one after the building of their fabulous new hall, and two here in Wincanton (one in association with Wincanton Film Society).

I'm now associated with this noble enterprise because I have the privilege of being on the projection team for almost all the events, as I am for Wincanton Film Society. We cart all our projection equipment around Dorset, including a 14'x12' screen.

The format for each evening begins with doors opening at 7.00pm. Punters wielding £8 tickets enter and begin bouncing around the hall between the exhibitor stalls lining the walls. Almost all the exhibitors are able to offer free samples of their wares, a presumed and significant component of the experience. There's always more than enough to go around. Badger is a regular exhibitor, offering free samples of a wide selection from their range of beers and cider - a great opportunity to try many of their extremely varied flavours.

At around 8.00pm the banqueting is interrupted by either a talk given by one of the producers, whereby they explain their beginnings and/or passion for what they do, or a short and often entertaining film. A short break precedes the main feature during which last minute tastings can take place before the remaining exhibitors pack away. Purbeck Ice Cream is sold in small theatre-size tubs.

Each venue gets a different feature film, and the exhibitors vary considerably due to the large area the festival covers. It's no surprise, then, that an enthusiastic and loyal core tends to show up to multiple events, treated to a different film each time.

This year there are 15 events in total. From Wincanton they're all within about an hour's drive into Dorset, with one or two exceptions, but the closest will be North Cadbury's debut. The film for the evening will be 'The Last Holiday', a comedy with Queen Latifah that I'm sure you'll find thoroughly entertaining. Exhibitors will include Red Barn Farm Shop, Kimber's Farm Shop, Alweston Jam and Chutney Empire, The Lunch Box (from Wincanton High Street!) and Mere Fish Farm.

Last year the festival debuted in Mere but unfortunately this year that event has been cancelled.

The venue for the finale is usually the Exchange in Sturminster Newton, in this case on the 3rd November, where the recent box office success 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' will be shown.

All the details of the festival can be found on its very impressive, award winning website, including the complete programme and a list of all the food-producing exhibitors. One of these producers, 'Olives et al' is also the principle sponsor, without whom the festival wouldn't be possible.

Tickets are £8.00 (no concessions) and can be bought on the door at any given event, but events often sell out so it's wise to buy them in advance. You can do this by...

Phone: 01963 32525
Email: bookings@screenbites.co.uk
Website: http://www.screenbites.co.uk

The underpinning purpose of this festival is to promote all our local food producers, of which there are a great many, most of whom produce affordable food to very high standards; food that's substantially superior to what's typically available in supermarkets; artisan, delectable and a source of one of life's greatest pleasures. Anyone looking to reintegrate with our local heritage and perhaps appreciate a higher standard of the primary human resource that is food should turn up to one or more of these events and begin their education, with a dollop of solid entertainment on the side.

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