My local post office/village store, sells home made cakes, quiches, jams and marmalades, the 3 fruit above is one of no 2 son's favourites and just as nice as any expensive brand you can buy. Coming up to Christmas, they also make Christmas cakes and puddings, and I always buy their home made pickles to top up those I've made myself.
I treated us to one of their homemade apple cakes when I was last in, I normally make them myself but just couldn't face baking that night.
A swarm of locusts , AKA my teenage sons, seem to have taken over the kitchen as by bedtime this was all that was left!
It looks like I'm going to have to get baking to keep up, we have plenty of apples on the trees in the garden, and my hens are still laying at the moment. They usually have a rest for a couple of months, and I don't think that will be far away.I use my local village shops every week. I have milk from the dairy at one, veg from another, and meat from the butchers and bread from the bakers in another. I know that I am very luck that in my village and the 2 neighbouring ones I have such a choice. I work in the town and it would be easy for me to pop into the supermarket to buy what I need, but I firmly believe in supporting the local shops and suppliers whenever I can.
In the lastest round of Post Office closures we were incredibly lucky that none of our PO's shut, if they had I think that the village shops would struggle to keep going. During the floods last summer the roads out of the villages were blocked, necessitating a 40 mile trip each way along the motorway if you wanted to get into town, rather than the usual 6, and the number of people using the village stores increased no-end. These people were happy for the shop owners to do this trip for them to save them the hassle, yet as soon as the road opened they deserted the local shops again, seemingly forgetting that without daily customers they may not be around if we are unluckly enough to get marooned again. The little shops can never totally replace a trip to the supermarket, but you can get much of what you want, and more importantly the owners will get things in especially for you. When I was icing my Christmas cake last year, they didn't have any glycerine so let me use some of theirs. It is also a more friendly environment, not rushed, which allows small children to learn how to pay for shopping, you regularly see small children counting out their pocket money to buy fruit or sweets, or paying for their mummy's shopping without being pressured to hurry up.....can you imagine that in Tesco!
So lets back the local shops, and encourage others to do the same...as the saying goes "use them or lose them".
13 comments:
I was just in the kitchen talking about buying local with my brother who is visiting from his farm 3000km away.
Today I went to the local farmers market and bought milk from a guy who owns 100 Jersey cows, fresh apple juice and homemade strawberry jam that has whole chunks of strawberries in it. I live inner city and can find these things nearby. Fabulous.
You're very lucky with your shops. Ours aren't too bad, but they're not great either, although at least we do still have a choice and they are only able to stay open if we use them. The cake looks lovely and so does the little cake plate, I've been looking for one for ages :)
Kim x
I totally agree with you about shopping locally if possible. I even posted on it back in the summer. I hate giving so much of my disposable income to the big T. My problem is that small shops are few and far between where I live. I cannot get to the farmers market because I work. I do use a farm shop, but somemtimes have to weigh up the petrol money against buying under one roof. It shouldn't be about that but with fuel prices being what they are sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. Love your collection of books, you a girl after my own heart. I think Nigella is fab and any book that has christmas ideas in it attracts my eye. Wish I had full pockets though..sigh. Dev X
I try to shop locally if I can too, and we have several farm shops and a farmer's market once a month. Our post office & village stores recently closed, but we now have a little post office set up in the village hall twice a week, which has inspired a community cafe to start up, which is great! I agree it's so important to keep these things going - the supermarkets can't compete when it comes to a friendly chat in your local shop!
Willow x
A silly question... how do I find out when and where local Farmers markets are to me? Sadly we do not have any 'Local Shops' to us really...we are out in the sticks a bit!!! x
I've just been to a local food fayre today, amazing the turn around in recent years to support local produce, about time too but sadly too late for many small suppliers.
Hi Andrea
Locations for farmers markets can be found at www.farmersmarkets.net, put in your post code and it will give the nearest one, they can also give details of nearest PYO and farm shops. This is for certified markets only, so there may be others about that it doesn't list.
Hope this helps.
K
Good for you for making wise choices, shopping locally, and supporting your local economy. It helps build a strong local community.
D x
I now do our weekly food shop at Wimborne farmer's market - ironically, most of the stuff I buy is from within a few miles of where I live, taken down to Wimborne, where I buy it! OH is down there working, so I tag along with my wicker basket on wheels, so not more car journeys than usual. I like the interaction with stallholders and other shoppers - adds a whole new dimesnion; I've also found that being a regular customer will realise benefits in the shape of an extra few ounces of this, couple of extra of those, etc.
We only use the supermarkets very occasionally now, and make them work for us - we have no loyalty cards, or do much shopping there, but buy just what we need (mainly Marmite and cheap gin.....:) ) without getting sucked into their marketing ploys. We are lucky with the number of farm shops around here, so use them too, and teh local health food shops. It helps me to get out of the "weekly food shop" syndrome too.
ps - I love your egg bucket!!
Hey K! Thanks for your words of support on my blog. Ooooh, I do love a good battle... good for the soul! LOL! Your words have stoked the fire! Hee Hee!
As for shopping... I am totally sharing your "deliver" technique so not to deviate! I do the same and I come out thinking " did the empty the shop of what I wanted and fill it with useless goodies!? "
I do now deliver... awful for my carbon foot print, but I am only a size 5 and better for the purse.
I use my local shop... not as "farm produce" as yours but does have some items.. eggs, milk and fruit and veg.
ALAS, however, I use it more for the "late night cadbury" produce.
I love to bake... and do a mean chocolate cake WITH COURGETTE!!! great way for kids to get the greens down them! Has anyone made it? Got the recipe from Riverford Organics... yummy!
Your teenage sons made a good job on your cake, could out do Tracey Emin any day!
Anyway, cant waffle on, I have to check Face Book to catch up with all my like minded "sad, no life" old school friends who seem to get my humor (not many do! : )
( if anyone IS on F.B too and Im not the only over 25 yr old on it... look me up! Helen Hamilton Brugts )
Happy Monday All!
Helen xx
Goodness what a lot of eggs you have there it looks as if you could be selling them locally as well as buying your produce locally, or maybe you could start a barter system.
I thoroughly agree with everything you have said on your post. Farmers markets are really coming into being here in NZ..they are great and everyone benefits !
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