Tag Archives: Local business

Sustainable Living ideas

Why should you have your milk delivered?

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In January 2020, someone knocked on my door advising us of a new local milk delivery service that will be starting in the area and asked whether it’s something we would be interested in.

It was something I had thought about for a while but never got round to setting up. The plastic cartons were a real bug bear for me.

I wish I had remembered the name of the gentleman who turned up on my doorstep because his passion and enthusiasm for his product was so infectious, we signed up on the spot. Something I NEVER do.

How has it been going?

Since January, we’ve been Plurenden Manor Farm customers and every milk delivery have been on time and correct. Having milk delivered direct to my doorstep is so convenient; they’re delivered in glass bottles and the old glass milk bottles are taken away, cleaned and reused. Just like the old days.

I’m really glad we signed up when we did because two months later, the UK were placed in lockdown due to the coronavirus so I’d imagine demand would have gone through the roof.

They don’t just do milk either, they have a range of products they sell; groceries, eggs, preserves, bread and even milk alternatives.

You are provided with your own account details where you can update your deliveries or let them know you’re going to be away. It really is simple, stress-free and I pay my invoices via Paypal, easy peasy!

Support local businesses

I’ve noticed that businesses similar to Plurenden Manor Farm have been popping up in other parts of the country and, as a small business owner myself, I’m all for supporting small businesses. I love that I can access this service in my area and I’m sure, before long, you may be able to do so in your local area through a local farm.

Another great way to support local businesses is by eating seasonal food.

I’m not sure why milk deliveries disappeared for a decade or so but I’m really glad milk deliveries are back and I hope they are here to stay.

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Sustainable Living ideas

9 reasons to eat seasonal food

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A few weeks ago, I was reading an article about seasonal foods in the UK. The article discussed what seasonal food in the UK was and how many could I name. I’m embarrassed to admit I hardly knew what was in season in the UK and when. Have you wondered how far the food sitting on your plate has actually travelled?

We are spoilt for choice, any many of us don’t think about seasonal eating, as our supermarkets are open around the clock and, thanks to the advances in technology and globalisation, they are packed high with fruit and vegetables from all around the world – Fruit and vegetables year-round: Avocados from Mexico, Bananas from India, Strawberries from Spain. If you’re looking for seasonal fruits or out-of-season produce, that’s no longer an issue. 

Eating seasonally focuses on fresh produce that has been grown, harvested and finally ready for consumption shortly afterwards. It also includes produce that hasn’t had to travel over long distances. For example, across a continent.

So, why should we be eating seasonal food?

Let’s have a look at some of the reasons…

  1. Buying seasonal food will help reduce your carbon footprint and carbon emissions as the food hasn’t travelled long distances.
  2. Eating seasonal food means the produce is at it’s best in flavour and health benefits because it’s been harvested at the right time. Our farmers know their stuff!
  3. in-season produce means you will have a better idea of where your food came from. There’s something really special about eating local produce that has been grown in the UK, or even in the same county!
  4. They require minimal pesticides which can strip the soil from essential nutrients and enter the water supply.
  5. When foods have to be chilled for transport, some produce can lose its nutritional value.
  6. Seasonal food allows a greater variety in your diet, which can only be a good thing for your overall health, and you’ve got something to look forward to.
  7. When you’re buying food from a supermarket that has had to import the food, there will be more steps in the supply chain, which could lead to damaged food. Seasonal food means a much shorter supply chain.
  8. Locally grown food including fresh fruits from places such as local farms or local farmer’s markets, they’re less likely to come in plastic packaging.
  9. Last, but not least, you’ll be supporting a local business ad your local economy.

What foods are in season and when?

I’m so glad you asked!

After realising I had no idea what was in season in the UK and when, I decided to do some research. This prompted me to create a handy chart showing what is grown and when.

You can use these guides to help you plan your weekly meals.

Download here

Just by having this information easily at your fingertips, it’s a great way to help you think about where your food has come from the next time you go local grocery store. If it’s in season, it can help reduce your environmental impact too. Plus, it will be tastier because it will be at its best. Sounds like a win/win to me!

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Updated April 2024

Sustainable Living ideas

My Local Zero Waste Shop

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Last year, I found out there was a local zero waste shop in my town called Bare Bazaar and I was really excited about it.

Since then, I had purchased some bits like a safety razor from them, ditching my plastic razor forever and made enquiries about refilling hand wash containers, hair shampoo and packaging free soap.

I wanted to wait until I had finished what I had so could take my empty containers for a refill. But I wasn’t able to so as we were in the grips of a pandemic with many businesses forced to close their doors. I had no option but to buy what I needed from the local supermarket. During the pandemic, I noticed many shops heavily increased their plastic use by wrapping certain items individually in plastic wrap, I was eager for shops like Bare Bazaar to get the green light to open.

Fast-forward to now and I’m happy to say, Bare Bazaar are open again. Hooray! They had moved locations from the last time I visited and needed a few bits so I went along to their new home.

Below is a picture of what I got. I kept hold of the empty herb jars so I handed them over and asked them to be half-filled. In the green container was handwash – which is Lime and Aloe Vera and smells amazing – I transferred that into my empty Carex pump container, a bar of shampoo and safety razors. I never tried shampoo bars so I wanted to give that a go.

Kati allowed me to take some pictures as I was eager to write a blog about it.

I absolutely adore this shop and It’s such a simple concept; pasta, lentils, rice, cereal, pules, herbs and so much more all stored in see through containers and jars. All you need to do is go along with your clean containers and let them know how much you want. They take contactless and it was easy peasy.

Not only are they zero plastic; you only pay for what you need. Can you imagine how much less waste there would be if we were free to buy exactly what we need?

In my opinion there is a need for more places like Bare Bazaar, not only is it plastic-free shopping, you’re supporting a local business and that, to me, is the icing on the cake.  Why don’t you have a look to see if you have a zero-waste shop in your local area.

If you would like to find out more, their FB page is https://www.facebook.com/barebazaar

Sustainable Living ideas

Will The Coronavirus Make Us Think Differently About Our Food?

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The coronavirus or COVID-19 has gripped the world changing all aspects of society; school, work, visiting friends and family, and even just going out for a walk.

When we started learning about the effect this pandemic was having on the citizens of China, there was fear that this virus may spread. Why wouldn’t it? We are a global society. We are always on the go, whether it’s commuting to work, travelling for business or going on holiday, we don’t stay in one place so something like spreading a virus is always a strong possibility. Each country has been handling the crisis in the best way they know how, although, this has differed between countries.

If a county you rely on for exports are having a problem and affects the supply chain, especially in terms of food, this can be disastrous. Not just for economies but for people too. People start to panic.

As well as many other countries, people in the UK started panic buying. Before we knew it, you had more chance of seeing a Unicorn than a pack of toilet roll and shortly after that other products were proving difficult to come by; flour, eggs, bread and pasta. Supermarkets just couldn’t cope with the demand.

Since supermarkets finally limited the number of each item per customer was allowed to purchase, the shelves seem to be stocked although some products are still hard to come by.

A local service I signed up to in January was for milk delivery from a local dairy. I had always thought about having my milk delivered, purely as a way to reduce my plastic and someone knocked on my door offering this service. Having milk delivered twice a week is a real benefit to us (they’re in glass bottles too, no plastic!) and as they are a local business, the service has been unaffected. If anything, I think they’ve become busier since the coronavirus outbreak as they offer fruit, vegetables and bread. Demand for services like this has skyrocketed.

Fifty or so years ago, towns and cities had a local food supply infrastructure; butchers, family dairies, greengrocers but in that time majority of these services have disappeared as products offered by these businesses can be found conveniently (and cheaper) at supermarkets resulting in small family run businesses shutting down.

When normal services resume, and they will resume, I really hope this will encourage consumers to change their buying habits as well as their mindsets and purchase food from local businesses. I hope #SupportLocal takes on a whole new level and consumers will do this automatically.

Will this encourage us to look at maybe growing our own vegetables in our back gardens, will the waiting list for allotments become longer? Will we start eating food that is in season in the UK rather than shipping in strawberries from Spain all year round?

I hope this will make us look at our food and allow us to do things differently.