11/2/2007 - Derbys, Leics, and Notts - Latest News on the Best Food Produced within Yards of Your House!
Local Produce News from Foodclose.co.uk:
New products and Wine Tastings at Sound Bites
Local Breakfasts and Fish 4 Ever at Soul
Organic Beers at Red Zebra
Time to buy your seeds from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
Order an Honest Cabbage or grab a Wheelbarrow
Saltwater’s Locally produced Cottage Pie
Fair Trade Fortnight is here again
Purple Places
National Honey Week
Real Ale round up
New products and Wine Tastings at Sound Bites, Derby
Derby’s co-operative organic supermarket is now stocking Foodclose favourite Yabba’s spicy range of chutneys and hot sauces. In these colder months these zingy preserves add a welcome warmth to any hearty winter dish! Foodclose especially recommend the Hot Pepper Sauce that can be added to pretty much any dish for an extra kick.
Sound BItes
Local Breakfasts and Fish 4 Life at Soul, Derby
Start the day at Soul for a more than filling breakfast of local products – Soul have always provided very generous portions of their delicious food and their Peak District sources brekkie is no exception, everything down to the sausage and bacon is in abundance and tasty as ever. If you are popping in to pick up a few store cupboard items, don’t forget some Organico Fish 4 Ever. This canned fish is suitable for anyone who is concerned about eating fish caught responsibly.
Soul
Organic Wines and British Beers at Red Zebra, Derby
Tucked away in Derby’s Guildhall is a treasure chest of Wines, Beers, Whiskies, and speciality spirits. Amongst their range are organic and fair trade wines as well as real ales from all over Britain. Try their range at the Derby CAMRA Beer Festivals or pop in to get a recommendation!
Red Zebra
Time to buy your seeds from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
Have you thought about growing your own organic fruit and vegetables this year? A good place to start looking for seeds and all the right equipment is the Organic Gardening Catalogue which includes in its range a selection of starter kits with a variety of different veggies for you to try. The best way to start is to order their catalogue which makes good winter reading when the February weather forces us indoors!
Organic Gardening Catalogue
Order an Honest Cabbage or grab a Wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow Organics, Chesterfield, have taken over the reigns of Heaven Sent to provide an improved veg box service to the residents of Chesterfield and the local area. Their website is very clear about exactly what will be contained in your box each week to help you really plan what you’ll do with it all!
Foodclose favourite Honest Cabbage who deliver veg boxes to the Derbyshire area have introduced a regular payment option on their website so that customers don’t have to remember to order each week. You can also pay via Paypal making this a very convenient scheme.
Saltwater’s Locally produced Cottage Pie
Nottingham’s Saltwater restaurant is currently serving up a tasty cottage pie made with locally reared beef. It is served with an unusually titled Swede and Carrot Clapshot – readers, if you have heard of this before please send in your explanation of where this name originated! It appears to be mash! Foodclose will watch with interest to see what appears on any future menus of a local nature to see if Saltwater have found this to be a popular addition.
Fair Trade Fortnight
Fair Trade Fortnight is here again. Fancy yourself as a Masterchef? Enter your own Fair trade recipe into the 2008 cookbook here: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved_fairtrade_fortnight_2007.htm#2.
Here are some of the events taking place locally – many local shops and suppliers will also be running their own events in what is usually a very active week of campaigning!
Purple Love Week
Purple Love Week 10th-17th February
Clarissa Hyman, owner of Olives Et Al has begun a national campaign to encourage shoppers to support independent suppliers and producers. The campaign is backed by Big Barn and was launched last week with the release of 600 purple balloons and the delivery of 600 taster boxes of products. Buy a T-Shirt, sign the guestbook and declare your ‘Independants’ on the Purple Places website!
National Honey Week
National Honey Week 12-18th February
There’s more to Honey than meets the eye! In fact the British Honey Importers and Packers Association have put together an A-Z of uses on their Honey Week Website. Look out for locally produced honey at local farm shops and suppliers including Littleover Apiaries
Local Real Ale round up
Community Pubs Week
It’s Community Pubs week next week, and CAMRA members will be surveying local pubs to find the best suppliers of Real Ale and to support the non chain, non theme pubs that are closing at a staggering rate of 26 a month.
Upcoming Beer Festivals:
9-10 Feb - Out of Vaults Beer-Fest - Leicester.
9-10 Feb - Hockey Club Beer-Fest - W.Bridgford.
14-17 Feb - Bell Valentine Beer-Fest - Nottingham.
16-17 Feb - Lichfield Winter-Fest - Guildhall.
23-25 Feb - Oakham Brewery Tap B-F - Peterboro
1-3 Mar - Loughborough Beer-Fest - Polish Club.
8-11 Mar - Old Poets Beer-Fest - Ashover.
14-17 Mar - Leicester B-F - Charotar Patidar Samaj
15-18 Mar - Canalhouse Beer-Fest - Nottingham.
16-17 Mar - Bingham Beer Fest - Rugby Club.
29-1 Apr - Flowerpot Beer-Fest - Derby.
29-1 Apr - Hollybush Beer-Fest - Makeney.
29-1 Apr - Mansfield Beer-Fest - Football Club.
31 Mar - Craft Brewing Fest - Brunswick, Derby.
5-9 Apr - Charters Beer-Fest - Peterboro.
6-8 Apr - Rowing Club Beer-Fest - Derby.
20-22 Apr - Harrington Beer-Fest - Thulston.
20-23 Apr - Steampacket Beer-Fest - Swanwick.
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