WEST Country sausage-maker Westaways has become the UK’s first meat producer to use eco-friendly packaging that can be put on your compost heap rather than adding to the nation’s waste problem. “If you walk down a meat or dairy aisle in a supermarket you will see that just about every product is wrapped in plastic,”…
THE organisers of Somerset’s award-winning eat:Festivals are inviting applications from new businesses for bursaries and development support to enable them to make their first steps into trading. The bursaries, sponsored by Thatchers Cider, are for food and drink producers who have not engaged in business start-ups to consider festival trading. The successful producers will have…
WHILE our friend Joanna was working on a newspaper in a godforsaken, drought-stricken mining town in Queensland, she sent us a postcard of people doing a rain-dance. The message read: “Can Fanny come and organise a picnic, please?” My reputation for ensuring wet and/or cold weather if I so much as say the word is…
PRESERVE specialist Rosemary Jameson, the founder of the Guild of Jam and Preserve Makers, has organised the UK’s first-ever online jam festival to take place from 25th July – 2nd August. Rosie, the founder of Rosie Makes Jam and Love Jars, is based in Rutland. She has a life-long passion for jam-making and in the…
A NEW regional food organisation has been set up to develop a “world-class,” sustainable supply chains across the South West, to link farmers and food producers with outlets for their produce, particularly public organisations such as the NHS and schools. The South West Food Hub Community Interest Company (CIC), which was launched on the late…
DEVON-based clothbound cheddar-maker Quicke’s, based near Crediton, has launched two food parcels with a difference – Joy Boxes, Devon-sent selections of award-winning food and drink, providing everything needed for a memorable meal in the garden or that long-awaited picnic in the park. Designed to spread some much-needed joy, whether sent as gifts, enjoyed al fresco with…
MELBURY Vale, the vineyard and winery just south of Shaftesbury, has been busy during the coronavirus lockdown, producing new wines, and helping customers by offering contactless pick-up at the winery. The vineyard is run by brother and sister Glynn and Clare, Clare’s husband Joseph and Glynn’s partner Sarah. They are urging wine-lovers to follow the…
THE Prince of Wales has backed a campaign calling for the public to support small cheesemakers, as the Covid-19 pandemic threatens the futures of many of the country’s most celebrated farmhouse and artisan cheeses. This message of support, which was accompanied by one of the Prince’s favourite recipes – for Cheesy Baked Eggs using British…
THERE has been a huge increase in sales of frozen food during the Covid-19 lockdown. That’s not really unexpected as people shop for a week or more, but what is quite surprising is the top item in the list of ten products which have seen the biggest year-on-year increase, according to the frozen food specialists…
SALISBURY Cathedral celebrates its 800th anniversary this year. The celebrations began with a special service on the actual anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone on 28th April 1220 – online because of Covid-19 – and the launch of a remarkable art exhibition in the Cathedral and in the Close. They continued, the following…