I  joined the Eat Local project a week ago and have just managed a whole week without any major difficulties or disruption. Not too hairshirt and the resident curmudgeon I share the house with was at last persuaded it was a good thing and came on board when he discovered that Waller’s Butchers at Mitchams Corner do local rabbit, pigeon, venison and beef. As I usually do not cook meat, he was pleased to see I am making concessions for these 6 weeks by carnivore cooking. Tuesday’s beef stew made from cows that grazed Midsummer Cmmon last year plus regular supplies of homemade bread converted
him. Did not stop him escaping to Germany for the week however.

It has been an interesting and worthwhile experience to attempt to eat as much as possible locally sourced food. It became easier once we knew where to go for different items, but it is a shame that eating local does not necessarily mean shopping local. We had lots of interesting conversations with local shops, but we are left with two questions – how can we increase the number of outlets for local producers, and is it possible to change some of the supermarket sourcing strategies to allow local produce to be more available? Something for discussion and future action?

We managed to source all the ingredients for our bread locally. It’s very straight forward to make in a bread maker. First thing in the morning, there is nothing more scrumptious than being woken with the smell of a freshly baked loaf. We found we missed the snacks of life but a slice of toast with home made damson jam soon made up for the missing biscuits. Here is our recipe:- Continue reading →

As we approach the end of our six-week Eating Local Winter 2011/2012 project, some of us (Ann, Bev, Penny and I) met over lunch to take stock and to share experiences and tips. Continue reading →

When we started the eating local project, we worried that our meals would be repetitive and uninteresting – lots of root vegetables and cabbage. How wrong we were! Once we found out where to source local produce, especially vegetables, we have found a great variety of food available, and with a bit of creativity, we have eaten some delicious meals. What have we missed so far? We both admitted to a longing for tinned sardines and baked beans!

With half of Heathrow flights grounded and hazardous driving conditions across Europe due to heavy snowfall, I started thinking about food security and how communities who rely more on local foodstuffs and less on imported goods are likely to be more resistant to disruptions.

Continue reading →

I was really pleased that the piece I wrote explaining why eating local, seasonal food is a good thing has appeared in the Cambridge News. (It was posted on this blog earlier but it’s hard to find it now, so here’s the link if you want to read it.)

One of my weekly joys is shopping at the Sunday market – the picture shows a very bundled up me on the right buying veg from Mayflower Organics (Simon Steel in Littleport). Another great joy is people’s kindness – as soon as people hear about the project, they give me things: a bag of freshly-dug Jerusalem artichokes (thanks Beryl!), Continue reading →

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was lucky enough to find some straight-out-of-the-ground-fresh artichokes at Burwash Manor. What I forgot to mention, was that – on seeing me staring somewhat blankly at said artichokes – the kind folks at The Larder also supplied me with a recipe for carrot and artichoke soup. Continue reading →

Probably not unlike many women (and indeed many men), I am prone to occasional moments of weakness in which – try as I might – I invariably give in to chocolate cravings.

Well, as a localite foodie (unless you are very naughty and include chocolate/cocoa as one of your five ‘can’t-live-without’ non-local items!), chocolate is off limits. Continue reading →

I was passing through Barton this afternoon and decided to stop by Burwash Manor, a group of converted farm buildings housing a range of independent shops, including a number of food outlets.

I headed for The Larder, a welcoming farm shop. Quick to attract the shop assistant’s attention, i tentatively enquired, “Do you stock any local produce that comes from within 30-miles of here?” Clearly I was not the first person to ask this question in the last couple of weeks. Continue reading →

One of the first thing to get your head around if you are to “eat local” is that supermarkets are pretty much off limits. Continue reading →

Oh, the difference a bit of chilli makes! Lovely Liz Serocold brought me some beautiful dried red chillies she’d grown last year and I have been adding them to soups and stews. Who needs black pepper and stock cubes when we have chillies, fresh marjoram from the garden, bay leaves and lots of fresh garlic?! Here is a photo of the delicious veg stew we had recently Continue reading →