Intentions to write a regular blog have been overtaken by all the great things that have been happening at Seed Co. HQ since the beginning of the year.  We've just finished around six weeks of being on the road attending various trade events and consumer shows, so thanks to all of you who came along to support us.  In particular, we had a fantastic response at the Exeter Festival of Food & Drink and the Shaftesbury Food Festival where visitors really got behind their local rapeseed oil!

We got very dusty and tired at the Real Food Festival in Earl's Court - it was a really good show to visit with hundreds of interesting small companies to see but the floors were covered in sawdust which seemed to find its way into every nook and cranny (well nearly). While we were in London we ate in a great gastropub called The Butcher's Hook (www.thebutchershook.co.uk) and bemoaned why there's not more places like it nearer home. Unpretentious but really good, fresh ingredients - not only that but brilliant service and just the place to restore your sense of humour after standing in sawdust all day!

We've had a busy few months of development of new products too, using our rapeseed oil as an alternative to other oils or fats.  We've launched Dorset Thick & Thins (a delicious new 100% Dorset biscuit) with the help of Olives Et Al and three other Dorset producers, two new Dorset Cove Dressings (Beetroot & Thyme and Lemon & Dill) and one or two other products in the pipeline ... so watch this space.

Back at The Seed Co. and Pearce Seeds, our boxes of wheat that we're growing for the Dorset Cereals garden at Hampton Court is coming along very nicely.  All a bit strange growing wheat in great big boxes rather than in open fields, and we've had to nurture it by putting it in and out of greenhouses, but it's outside at the moment and enjoying a bit of spring sunshine and showers!

A bit of a windy day here at Rosedown Farm but lots to celebrate with the news of Paul's wedding to Camilla in just a few months' time (hope their wedding cake will be made with rapeseed oil!) and the (much less important) launch of the new Seed Co website.

Great news too, that we've just got planted all the seed for our part at Chelsea Flower Show this year ... we're delighted to be working with http://www.dorsetcereals.co.uk to contribute a little part of their Edible Playground garden.

Have to report there's been a bit of a hoo ha this week between Wilbur, Jake, Jasper, Dario, Ralph and Pippa .... seems one of them ate all the doggie biccies and no-one's owning up (p.s. they're the Rosedown Farm staff dogs by the way, not the sales team!). 

The mood at The Seed Co team is a little despondent this month, not due to lack of sales (which has been fab thanks to Purple Love Week) but due to the temporary ban on Thursday's usual Lardy Cake, delivered by the local baker ... a staple during the rest of the year but a banned substance in January and February.  Instead they've started a lunch-time running club which we're assured doesn't include a circuit of The Rose & Crown. Yeah right.

Must dash - The plastic heron's fallen over again!