A Dorset knob is a kind of hard, dry, savoury biscuit from Dorset which is very crumbly and has the consistency of very dry stale bread or rusks. [1] They are roughly 5 cm square and 4 cm high and weigh about 25 g.
A Dorset knob is a kind of hard, dry, savoury biscuit from Dorset which is very crumbly and has the consistency of very dry stale bread or rusks. [1] They are roughly 5 cm square and 4 cm high and weigh about 25 g.
Dorset knobs are made from bread dough enriched with extra sugar and butter. They are rolled and shaped by hand, and baked three times.
They are named after their shape's resemblance to Dorset knob buttons, [1] but have also been compared, in size, to door knobs. [1]
Dorset knobs are typically eaten with cheese (for example, Dorset Blue Vinney). [2] Dorset knobs were said by his parlour maid to have been a favourite food of local author Thomas Hardy. [1] As they are so hard, they are also eaten by first soaking them in sweet tea. [3]
In the past there were a number of producers of Dorset knobs. Today the only firm to produce them commercially is Moores Biscuits, which used to be sited in Morcombelake, four miles west of Bridport in the west of the county of Dorset in England, [2] but has now moved into Bridport itself. [4] The Moores family have baked biscuits in Dorset since before 1860. The bakery was established in 1880 by Samuel Moores and manufactures a variety of traditional biscuits in addition to the Dorset knob. Dorset knobs are only produced during the months of January and February. [1] They are normally sold in a distinctive and traditional tin.
The practice of Dorset knob throwing began in 2008 at a festival in the Dorset village of Cattistock, inspired by a Yorkshire pudding throwing game that the organiser had seen on television. [2]
The competition was for a while held every year on the first Sunday in May. [5] The record throw of 31.9 metres (105 ft) was set in 2019. [6] Other events at the festival included a knob and spoon race, knob darts, knob painting and guess the weight of the knob. [2] The competition venue was Cattistock from 2008 to 2016. Then in 2017, it moved from Cattistock to Kingston Maurward House, about 12 miles away. The event was cancelled in 2018, and there was a plan to make it a biennial event from 2019. [7] In 2024, the event was again held at the Cattistock Countryside Show, near Chilfrome.
The knobs must be thrown underarm with a straight arm. The throw is measured from where the knobs finish rolling and not from where they hit the ground.
| Year | Series | Men's Champion | Distance (m) | Women's Champion | Distance (m) | Under 12s | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1st | Unknown  [8] | 22.8 | Leah Stewart (1) | |||
| 2009 | 2nd | Phillip German-Ribon [9] | 26.1 | Leah Stewart (2) | 20.2 | Solo Roper (1) | 18.5 |
| 2010 | 3rd | Jack Guitor [10] | 25.4 | Leah Stewart (3) | 16.75 | Solo Roper (2) | 16.6 |
| 2011 | 4th | ||||||
| 2012 | 5th | Dave Phillips [11] | 29.4 | Kelda McNeill | 26.45 | Max Nuttall | 22.55 |
| 2013 | 6th | Kevin Pembroke [12] | 25.6 | Christina Marshall | 19.6 | Lewis Bowen | 18.0 |
| 2014 | 7th | Dave Morrison [6] | 21.8 | ||||
| 2015 | 8th | Patrick Lisoire [13] | 23.7 | Alice Cowen | 19.0 | Jack Courtier-Dutton | 18.0 |
| 2016 | 9th | Daniel Guest [14] | |||||
| 2017 | 10th | Pete Asher [15] | 22.70 | Catrin Vaughan | 18.65 | Samuel Chinchen | 16.40 |
| 2018 | Event Not Held (knob supply issues) | ||||||
| 2019 | 11th | James Vincent-Smith [16] | 31.9 | ||||
| 2020 | Event Not Held (COVID-19) | ||||||
| 2021 | Event Not Held (COVID-19) | ||||||
| 2022 | Event Not Held (outgrown the village's capacity) | ||||||
| 2023 | Event Not Held (outgrown the village's capacity) | ||||||
| 2024 | 12th | ||||||
| 2025 | 13th | Rob Dansey [17] | 32.05 | Helen Pidduck | 21.0 | Munjo | 24.6 |
| Champion | Wins |
|---|---|
| Leah Stewart | 3 |
| Solo Roper | 2 |
we have decided, following the retirement of our shop keeper, to close the Morcombelake site ... we intend to develop a webshop, fulfilling orders from our Bridport bakery. As an adjunct to this "e-tail" operation we intend to open a tiny shop at the front of our building at 202 St Andrew's Road in Bridport
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