News and views from the BigBarn offices http://www.bigbarn.co.uk Asparagus season is here again, time to celebrate and gorge! We have many recipes for cooking ideas, if you have a favourite not listed please email us with your recipe and we will include your name in our recipe section. Asparagus is the champion of local food. It should really be eaten within 2 hours of picking as once picked it begins to go 'stringy' as the sugars turn to starch. And the more local the better, if you can buy direct from the farmer it should be fresher and cheaper as the middle man and retailer margins are cut out. To find your local Asparagus click here to search our Asparagus map or if you want really fresh Asparagus for the next 20 years (starting in 2 years) grow your own and plant some crowns in the next 2 weeks. Asparagus is now up on farms from west to east, so we can all buy local for a delicious everyday feast. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=325 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:57:40 BST First held in 2008, Beanpole is an annual event which supports the coppice sector and is run by the Small Woods Association. It celebrates Britain's traditionally managed coppiced woodlands, the animals and plants that live in them and the coppice workers who look after them. Numerous special events are run and gardeners and growers are urged to buy beanpoles and other coppice wood products - a directory of suppliers can be found on the www.coppice-products.co.uk website. Another useful directory can be found on the Allotment Forestry website at http://www.allotmentforestry.com/direct. National Beanpole Week 2010 is calling on gardeners to support Britain's coppiced woodlands by choosing eco-friendly, locally-grown coppiced beanpoles instead of imported bamboo canes. By switching to British-grown coppiced beanpoles, gardeners and growers will be doing their bit to support the environment, wildlife, rural jobs, ancient skills and traditions - and their beans. Traditionally managed coppiced woodlands are a really important part of our countryside because they supply us with truly sustainable wood, provide an incredibly rich wildlife habitat, support hundreds of rural jobs and keep many ancient skills and traditions alive. Britain lost 90% of its coppiced woodland during the 20th century - and to protect what remains, we need to support the coppice workers who manage these woods by buying their excellent eco-friendly coppiced beanpoles. And once you have your beanpoles plant some beans, climbing cucumber or courgettes and enjoy the produce or even crop for your local shop. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=324 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 9:13:53 BST Happy Easter and don't forget to get some real eggs. In the shell from happy chickens and in foil from true chocolateers! It was great to hear about the crook who was locked up recently for buying in battery eggs from Eastern Europe and re-labelling them with a free range mark. Mind you I don't trust many of the free range labels you see in shops and only buy my eggs from places i know the chucks are free range. To find your local eggs use the BigBarn map or ask about the eggs at your local farm shop. As for real chocolate eggs, for your health, and taste sensation, go for quality not quantity. And for the very best, search our MarketPlace for a selection of artisan producers. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=323 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:56:40 BST If you like bacon you must have noticed the varieties of bacon on offer. From cheap imports to organic free range slow cured. Demand for cheap means the worst bacon is from intensively reared pigs that are then quick cured by pumping salty water in to the meat to also add weight. Demand for quality coupled with producers who care about their animals and the quality of their product means that there is some really great bacon available. And the best way to find out about it is ask. Bacon Connoisseurs Week between the 22nd and 28th March is designed to help producers shout about their bacon and encourage you to ask questions about the bacon in the shop. So please use the BigBarn map to find your local bacon or browse the BigBarn MarketPlace to buy online. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=322 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:52:55 GMT I know, you look after your mother all year so why do 'they' try and make money out of us by organising a special 'Day' for mothers. Well if you love your mum and would like to give something different try some of these unusual products from the BigBarn MarketPlace. To get to the producers shop simply click on the underlined products or search results. Natural lip balms and bees wax products Natural soaps and botanical products All kinds of chocolates Natural and unusual teas Home made real fudge Cookery Courses Great tasting Coffee Unusual, biscuits, flapjacks, cakes Or go to MarketPlace and search for any other products your mum loves. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=321 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:36:25 GMT Apparently we poor people are not going to live as long as rich people. When I say poor, most of us are either monetary poor, have poor knowledge of how to cook, or mostly, time poor, to cook real food. I suppose a whole generation has been educated without domestic science on the curriculum and the last 20 years has been the era of fast food and ready meals. It is all far to easy to get a take away or pop a ready meal in the microwave especially with so much clever marketing between favourite soap operas. At the same time we also seem to have more TV programs about cooking than ever. What we really need is a reason to cook and knowledge to make live easier, cheaper and healthier. So this is my attempt at a thrifty menu for 2 for a week (http:/www.bigbarn.co.uk/thriftmenu.pdf). These are the kind of meals I enjoy and you will notice reflect my taste for savoury rather than sweet. To find cheap seasonal food check your local food map and click on the icons with the '£' flag, that are cheaper than the supermarket. And please comment below with your cooking on a budget ideas/recipes. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=320 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:23:00 GMT How about a delicious treat for your Valentine? Food and drink is a primal need so what better way to reach your valentine's heart? At BigBarn we have some great ideas and have asked a few of our producer members to send in their ideas as comments below. Please also comment if you have a heart winning recipe or story. To start with something basic. Ladies, your man will pander to your every whim for weeks if you cook him a delicious, locally-produced, well hung, juicy, steak. We recommend you look at the BigBarn map to find your local farmer or butcher and ask questions so you can tell your man the story of his meal. Please note that a local sirloin steak will probably be cheaper and better than a supermarket fillet steak. And you men, forget the sweetie shelf at the local garage, or crappy flowers from the supermarket and give your lovely lady some hand made, high cocoa, aphrodisiac rich, hand made chocolates. Simply visit the BigBarn map or MarketPlace to find and buy the best local steak or for a huge range of chocolate. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=319 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:31 GMT Some time ago, when I shopped at the supermarket regularly, I left feeling as though I had been taken for a sucker. I had got some good deals, and boosted my rewards points, but the meat was not good and did I really want all those things that were not on my shopping list. Especially the DVD. And how did they make such a massive profit when they spent so much advertising how cheap they are? Is it because the farmer on average only got 9p for every £1 I spent? I then discovered that local food is cheaper, fresher, more convenient, tastier, higher quality, accountable, better for the environment, better for the local economy, better for animal welfare and reduces food miles and imports. I also read that 80% of people know about many of these things but only 20% of us actually buy local. So I set up BigBarn to help more people find and buy local food. That was 10 YEARS ago. And still 80% of people want to buy local food but only 20% are buying it. Is it because they have become addicted to the supermarket? Are so easily led by advertising? Really need those rewards points? Or sincerely believe that supermarkets are cheaper and that they need everything every week? Please tell them to STOP. Before everything is owned by the supermarkets! Tell them local food is cheaper and more convenient. All they have to do is change the way they shop. Buy essentials, like meat, dairy, fruit and veg from a local farm shop or butcher and grocer every week and leave the supermarket, to once a month. So the 3 easy steps for a better food industry are easy simply: Register for the BigBarn newsletter so we can remind you to save money by telling you about your local food outlets and special offers. Shop locally to encourage local food production, or even make money by cropping for your local shop. Comment here, we and others reading this article would love to hear what you think. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=318 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:41:22 GMT Whether you have Scottish blood, love Haggis, need a tiny excuse for a party, or like wearing a man skirt, Burns Week is here. I say week, as my friends can't come until the weekend. As one quarter of my body is Scottish and I love haggis, I will be carefully steaming my haggis for the big night. I will also boil some turnips, swede and carrots and roughly mash them, (to leave lumps) and mix with some butter and black pepper. Some potatoes will get the same treatment with butter, black pepper, milk and a pinch of mace, but be mashed finer and then whisked with a fork until my arm aches. I am afraid I won't struggle through the traditional Burn's grace for the cutting of the haggis especially now that I have found this recording. I will put my laptop near the table, click the link and have the big knife poised over the beastie, ready for the word 'cut' in the 3rd verse! To find your local haggis try your local butcher, or use the BigBarn MarketPlace. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=317 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:09:32 GMT I enjoyed a hearty breakfast in London yesterday to mark the launch of this years Farmhouse Breakfast Week. Thank you to the HGCA and well done! Health professionals all agree, and I am sure we all notice, especially with kids, we should start the day with a healthy, balanced breakfast. Breakfast really can benefit your energy levels, concentration, mood and can even help you manage your weight. To get involved and join farmers, producers, schools, retailers, caterers and individuals in celebrating the benefits of breakfast. Hundreds of events of all sizes are expected to take place across the country. For great ideas and tips on organising your own event, click here. Farmhouse Breakfast Week also provides a perfect opportunity to promote the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available around the country. From butchers style bacon and sausages to speciality breads and cereals, there is a fantastic choice to benefit the start of your day. To buy your great breakfast foods in our MarketPlace click sausages, bacon, black pudding, porridge, muesli or visit our map to visit your local producers/retailers. http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=316 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:22:56 GMT