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Sustainable and local businesses creating more jobs

Newsletter sent: 08/08/2021

 

Good evening all,

if we needed evidence at Tuppenny Barn of the seasons changing, you only need to look at our orchard.  There are plums already ripe for picking and our apple harvest is also beginning to come online.  Traditionally these fruits are generally only ripening towards the end of the month with nothing ready until at least the beginning of September.  Whilst walking around the perimeter I also saw that the Hawthorn is already laden with berries, again so very early.  On the positive you will have the first picking of cooking apples in your veg bags this week and we will now have our own supply of apples for the ever popular apple rings, a real favourite healthy snack.

On Tuesday morning we will be having the children’s falconry workshop, something that sold out very quickly.  There are still places on some of the other workshops so do have a look on the website if you are looking for an interesting activity morning or afternoon for your children or grandchildren.  The pub quiz numbers are now beginning to increase however there are still places left if you want to come along this Friday for a fun evening.  I have told people that it is worth it just for the curry – Jas and Ali have a delicious homemade vegetarian curry plan with all the lovely accompaniments.  There will be a bar which I will run and the ever popular Tuppenny raffle.

This week we will have some beautiful wax wraps on sale in the shop in sets of 3, made by Carla using upcycled materials and our bees wax.  She has done a fabulous job.  There are only a few sets made so you will need to be quick if you want to buy a set.

This week I have been reading that a shift of 10% of retail market share for sustainable, local food businesses could create an additional 200,000 jobs, support a green economic recovery and restore nature, the headlines from a new report published by the RSPB and Sustain. The report authors are calling on the Government to use its post-Brexit investment funds to fill local food infrastructure gaps as evidence shows producers and customers in local food systems are motivated by environmental benefits and production is associated with agroecological, nature-friendly methods.  ‘The Case for Local Food’ comes alongside the National Food Strategy which also made recommendations on food production. The new report argues that government support to plug infrastructure gaps could help local food businesses access £2bn of national and local food procurement contracts and help the National Advisory Board for Dynamic Food Procurement meet its aim to divert over 33% of UK public sector food and drink spend to fresh, local produce from sustainable SME producers by 2025.  The report defines local food as food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system (eg co-ops, box schemes, markets). Local food systems allow for a larger proportion of revenues to be retained in the local economy; every £10 spent with the box scheme results in total spending of £25 in the local area, compared with just £14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket. A shift to more localised food systems would help level up the country with every part of the UK having the potential to benefit.

Potential benefits of supporting sustainable, local food systems identified by the authors include:

 

  • Creating more nature friendly landscape: Local food systems encourage a diversity of production systems, which means they provide more opportunities for wildlife. A recent survey of veg box schemes found that the majority (67%) of 101 respondents were small-scale producers, regularly supplying up to 300 veg boxes per week to local communities, and that most of these were organic, which has benefits for soils and nature.
  • Boosting farm businesses and local economies: Farm shops and farmers’ markets provide a valuable opportunity for farm businesses to diversify and to add value to their production helping them improve their profitability. This can help provider better paid employment and opportunities for investment in skills development.
  • Reducing waste in the food system: The long supply chain model results in food loss estimated at between 3% and 10%. Research suggests that farm-level waste due to cosmetic standards is about 7.4%, though much higher for some crops, and overall waste thanks to supermarket demands for overproduction are 10–16%. Sourcing locally can help reduce this waste.
  • A more climate friendly food system:  Air-freighted produce comes with a colossal carbon footprint. In the UK, 70% of the beans, peas and asparagus in our supermarkets are air-freighted. By comparison a study of 228 box schemes across four countries (including 147 from the UK) found that 41% boxes used produce from their own farms and 76% within 100km.


At Tuppenny Barn we are very much into bartering goods when the opportunity presents itself and on Saturday I was able to get lots of lovely succulent plants for re-doing our living wall in exchange for cut flowers to a local florist.  Over the years we have had lots of similar exchanges which always helps with finances.

John from Loco will be baking:

White Sourdough £2.80
His open crumb signature white sourdough loaf.

Sunflower Seeded Sourdough £2.80
Wholegrain loaf full of toasted sunflower seeds.

Spelt Sourdough £3.40
The grain of choice for millennia. Nutty flavour and a russet crust, this bread is  beautiful, and kind to tums.

Rye with pumpkin seeds £3.99
Pumpkin seeded rye flavoursome, filling and delicious.

Fig & Walnut £3.80
Figs & Walnuts combined to delight with a Rye leaven and wheat flours. Moist, savoury and
sweet.

Waterloo bun £2.50
John’s sourdough version of the classic “Chelsea Bun” Organic raisins, french butter and cane sugar rolled into a satisfying bun and finished with a
cinnamon and seville orange marmalade glaze

Fococcia £2 per slice
Baked in a tin, light and soft with a Rosemary and Cornish sea salt crunch.

The veg bags this week will contain:

£9
potatoes
apples
cucumbers
aubergine
tomatoes
chard leaves

£12
as above and the following:

radishes
basil
sweet pepper

Orders into Cath at orders@tuppennybarn.co.uk by 9pm Monday.  Just a reminder for everyone to please pick up veg bags by Thursday 4pm.  If you are unable to do this please may you call the office on Thursday to let us know that you are unable to pick up so we can arrange for an alternative mutually convenient time (01243 3777800).

kind regards,
maggie