This weekend I headed to the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival in Brookby (Leicestershire), on what was a rather wet and muddy field. Needless to say, us tough Brits weren't put off by a bit of frost and rain and the car park was full of foody types. If you haven't been to the festival, its a great mix of local food/drink producers, fresh food made on site and demonstrations by chefs. What a great way to spend an afternoon, wandering around food stalls and tasting some of our best local produce. We have an amazing food heritage in Britain and it's great to see it, and our local businesses, being celebrated.
Some of my favourites were
- Bison Burgers from Bouverie Lodge who rear Bisons in the Leicestershire countryside
- Chocolate Confetti who make chocolate truffles to suit every palate, and which look like abit of heaven
- Arty Party Cakes who design and bake cakes for every occasion
These local food and drink businesses are crucial to our local economy. As Monty Don puts it so eloquently “A frighteningly high proportion of packaged food depends on a few basic ingredients, such as maize, soya and palm oil, that can only be produced on a huge scale and at rock-bottom prices by a combination of environmental rape and human exploitation. We are literally burning up the planet in order to produce food that is harmful, unnecessary and repulsive. The growing and trading of the greater part of these basic ingredients is controlled by just four huge companies” (Gardeners World, October 2008).
This is why it's so important to support local traders and producers - because we just can't rely on 4 companies getting the world the food we need, especially during the current economic climate where large companies are biting the dust almost on a daily basis. Big Barn is an alternative which helps you find local food suppliers, understand about seasonal produce and get into the habit of buying locally, regularly.
Well, I'd better be off to nibble on the treats I bought yesterday (I've already finished my supply of Chocolate Confetti – it was that good!) and order my next batch of local food.
Kate