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Keep in touch with the Food Alliance Blog - sign up here Follow on Instagram here, Facebook here Here's where you can see what's happening for good local food in Herefordshire. From local food events, through farming to food waste - we use the Sustainable Food Places topics so you can see the things you're interested in at a glance. Click on each one for more information or scroll down the most recent. Contact us to tell us what's going on in your part of the County and sign the food charter to add your voice! |
We're SO PROUD of this! So many people are working towards joined up, good value, nature-friendly food in Herefordshire and this shows how worthwhile that hard work has been!
The County of Herefordshire is a BRONZE Sustainable Food Place!
Over 85 diners enjoyed a 3 course meal at The Bookshop Hereford in the last of three “100% Herefordshire” Autumn Feasts on Tuesday 14 November.
As well as great local food they were treated to a surprise announcement that the County has achieved a Bronze award from Sustainable Food Places - recognising the collaboration and hard work that’s gone into all areas of the food system in Herefordshire, from food banks through community gardens to restaurants and farming.
Good farming = Good Soil = Good rivers
Making a Beautiful Healthy Herefordshire!
Buy Herefordshire Food Direct:
Support farms producing brilliant food in Herefordshire that's building nature through:
- Reducing the number of animals
- Using grazing methods that improve the soil and capture carbon
- Using pasture for feed and avoiding monocrop imports
- Selling direct and avoiding unnecessary transport
- Building production of plant based foods using mixed farming methods
We've produced a map of good food that you can buy direct, or with a very short supply chain, here in Herefordshire.
More about 'good' food and farming below the map.
The map also shows community food and food growing projects.
To see the list of producers alphabetically, go here
The ‘Talk Wellbeing’ service to communities around Herefordshire is offered via pop-up clinics in Hereford and the market towns, as well as via a specially adapted van that will visit many sites throughout the county.
Our experienced and friendly healthcare professionals will be out and about to offer a range of NHS services aimed to help people improve their health and wellbeing. These services include:
- How to reduce risk of heart disease and stroke
- Cholesterol checks
- Blood pressure checks
- Practical advice on how to make changes to your health
- Signposting to services and community groups that are available (including community food /growing projects)
Nominations are open for this year's Slow Food awards.
Herefordshire were well represented last year with Peter Cooks winning Best Baker. Last year's awards are here
and the form for this year's nominations is here.
"This year, the awards will work a little differently. You get to vote for your favourite in your nation (England, NI, Scotland or Wales) and whoever is in the top three in each of the categories in each of the nations will be shortlisted as a potential winner. A crack panel of experts in each nation will then take your shortlist and select the final winner from who you have chosen."
Let's get voting!
*DEADLINE SUNDAY 3rd DECEMBER* - Sorry! Please shout if you have an idea, and maybe others in the Alliance can help if you're new to funding.
The second round of the Rural Enterprise fund is also open with a longer deadline, do get in touch about that too and we can match each other with support. There is also the Business Enterprise Fund that might suit food businesses (not producers)
The Herefordshire Visitor Experience Fund is a capital grant scheme that has been funded by the UK Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). It aims to support the tourism sector through providing business growth for small or micro businesses, job creation and the development of tourist infrastructure.
A Herefordshire survey is showing an increase in awareness among farmers and farm managers is showing a big increase in awareness of the challenges around phosphate issues. Those that replied have a much higher awareness of the issues plus think it is important too.
The questions were written by the Herefordshire Rural Hub and distributed by Farm Herefordshire partners. Full Survey Results here.
If you'd like to learn more about phosphate issues and other nature friendly farming solutions - have a look at some of the links in the 'buy good food' post.
https://herefordshirefoodcharter.org.uk/blog/local-food-and-drink-producers-herefordshire
GET FUNDING, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT FOR YOUR OWN ON-FARM RESEARCH
Are you a landworker looking to carry out your own research, but scared to take the plunge? Or maybe you're already experimenting on your farm but could do with some extra support...
Small-scale farmers and landworkers across the country are pioneering innovation in farming and land work, but they are rarely acknowledged or rewarded for it.
To address this, we are excited to announce the second phase of 'Experts in Your Field', an LWA initiative that works to support grassroots, community-led research in agroecology.
NEW MILK VENDING MACHINE | A brand new milk vending machine has opened in Herefordshire!
The vending machine has opened in the village of Tarrington! It also stocks various other items, including organic cheese, butter and chocolate!
We'll add it to the growing map of places to buy great sustainable food in Herefordshire - if you know other places not on the map, please get in touch!
https://herefordshirefoodcharter.org.uk/blog/local-food-and-drink-producers-herefordshire
And if you've got some skills in making siomple databases talk to maps, especially using Airtable, please get in touch and help us out as we'd like to make it so much better!
The Department for Work and Pensions’ Household Support Fund (Fund) is money given to councils to support residents with the cost of essentials including food. It was first launched on 6 October 2021. It has been extended several times and it’s worth £2 billion over its lifetime. It has become a lifeline for councils to be able to support our most vulnerable residents and for projects in food emergency networks to be able to support people to access healthy food.
More information about how it's used in Herefordshire can be found here- this weekend for example there's a free lunch event at Baron's Cross in Leominster.
https://www.facebook.com/events/362417866454557
Barnardo’s, the Children’s Society, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Independent Food Aid Network, End Furniture Poverty, North-East Child Poverty Commission, Lloyds Bank Foundation and Turn2Us issued the following statement about the fund's need to continue:
As part of National Tree Week, Leominster Community Orchard (Millenium Green, below the Priory Church) will be holding a Pruning session
Volunteers welcome
Saturday 25th November 10am – 1pm
Instruction provided, bring gloves and tools and wear strong shoes
More information from 07961795466
https://hgnetwork.org/leominster-community-orchard-3/
Info through HGN - sign up to their newsletter!
In the week King Charles launched an initiative linking food waste and food poverty, it feels like a good time to remind ourselves what is going on in our county linking - tackling - those two things.
As well as the recent gleaning project making good use of surplus crops, there are initiatives to share surplus across a number of community larder / food projects. Check out info here of how to share your surplus.
Coming up:
There are low cost lunches using surplus in three locations in Hereford - details here
Leominster Food Share every Wednesday
The Zero Waste Stall in Ross
We have a growing map here where you can see surplus and community food projects near you (it's the same map where you can find out local food to purchase, there are different layers)
"Come along to our friendly Lunch Clubs and cook together a delicious and hearty lunch which we'll sit down and eat together after we've prepared it.
Lunch Clubs are relaxed and fun opportunities to chat and make new friends and share and learn new skills and recipes. No cooking experience necessary! The dishes we cook will depend on surplus and seasonal produce available and will change each week.
Marches Climate Action will be taking local action lobbying big businesses to stick to their own Environmental policies next weekend.
"We urgently need support for an action on 25 November targeting Nando's and Tesco and their profiting from decimation of the River Wye and lands in South America.
We need help to cover an outreach stall in High Town 9.30 - 4pm tbc
AND
Help with leafletting /petition/placards outside Nando's and Tesco's 10.30 - 14.30 tbc
We really need decent numbers for both of these activities and they may not go ahead unless we can guarantee the necessary volunteers.
Please donate an hour or more of your time to one or both of these actions via
And please come to two final-preparation meetings: this Sunday 19th 5pm and next Tuesday 21st 5pm link: https://join.skype.com/EngjCYTwdgFi (just click on this or copy and paste - no need to download or install skype)
Thank you.
A joint follow-up event with the Marches Real Food & Farming Conference:
"During the Marches Real Food & Farming Conference (MRFFC) we had a session on Collective small-scale mixed farming and heard about the experiences at Canon Frome Court, and this day will kick off with a farm visit to find out more. There will be an opportunity to see what is going on and meet people involved.
We will be hearing more about Herefordshire Food Alliance events to promote local sourcing, their success and challenges and enjoy a lunch sourced from Herefordshire farm produce will be provided by HFA. There will also be tea and cake.
In the afternoon we will be taking forward our thinking on bioregional food and farming and looking at the wider context of localized economies and cultures. This will involve mapping and action planning, building from what has emerged from the MRFFC People's Assembly.
Come and share your ideas.
Outline of day
Arrival from 9am for a 9.30 start
- 9:30 Farm tour and discussion on collective small-scale growing
- 12- 1 Local sourcing experience sharing - Herefordshire Food Alliance
- 1-2 Lunch - networking incl with community members
- 2pm Marches bioregion - mapping and planning workshop
- 4pm Close
We have room for 20 people, plus an extra 10 for afternoon only".
"The food was SO scrummy and the atmosphere truly wonderful!"
"Absolutely blown away. The food, the company and the work that has gone into it..."
We are reeling from really the best we could hope a celebratory feast of Herefordshire sustainable food could be - thank you! Our final Autumn Feast was quite special.
The Bookshop Hereford were a professional and beautiful host, setting off more than 15 wonderful producers and making their food pop - a welcome drink and three courses that truly shone. With many of the producers in the room, we were able to thank them personally and the food tasted so much better for it!
Many chats around food, partnerships, business ideas and time to hear the brilliant music and stories too from Tim and Chez at the Wye Valley River Festival.
If you were unlucky enough not to make it to the event - take a look at the list of producers here who will be happy to help you recreate the flavours in your own home! You won't have Bookshop chef Callum on hand though I'm afraid!
Boost Your Business: Securing Local Media Coverage - 10-12, Mon 4th December
Did you know more people read and trust the local press than the national newspapers?
If you‘re a local food enterprise, one of the best ways to reach new customers is to get featured in your local paper, or be interviewed on regional radio or TV. So what are media outlets looking for and how do you approach them?
Join PR professional Robin Clegg (Curve Communications) for this popular workshop aimed at local food organisations, from growers to producers to retailers to community orgs. We will cover what makes a good news story; the difference between reactive and proactive media; and choosing spokespeople, images and quotes. Plus top tips on writing a press release, how and when to pitch to journalists, and how to get your message across succinctly in press or broadcast interviews.
Tickets for this 2-hour webinar are £20 - Book your space here via Eventbrite.
Ledbury Food Group will be in the High Street 18th November promoting some great local food businesses...
"We will be at Ledbury Saturday Market on 18th November between 9am and 1pm featuring three local producers and their wares, free fresh soup and soup recipes – great food for the Autumn – and information about the Ledbury Food Bank.
Come along and meet our producers:
- Dragon Orchard – fruit and preserves
- Skittery Apple Juice – you may know them as Jus
- Little Marcle Organic Produce – local fruit and veg producer/supplier
And enjoy Ledbury Market"
If you're a supporter of the Food Alliance and can chat to people about our work too, please pop along!
Watch again: The Sustainable Food Places webinar on steps that we can take towards rolling out school meals for all primary children.
"London, Wales and Scotland are rolling out school meals for primary school children, while a handful of local authorities are taking innovative steps to expand current provision of free school meals.
Come and hear from the trailblazers on their journeys toward school food for all, as well as the Children’s Food Campaign and their Say Yes Campaign.
Find out what your area can do next toward a universal approach and an end to the postcode lottery on school meals.
https://www.sustainablefoodplaces.org/events/roadmap-to-action-universal-free-school-meals/
From Growing Local:
"Our next BIG EAT community lunch is on Saturday 25th November at The Kindle Centre
This time we shall be cooking a selection of curries, samosas and fruity puds
Come along anytime from 10am to help cook together a delicious buffet curry lunch
All welcome including families (we always have lots of children’s cook activities)
Two opportunities to support food producers in difficult situations from Landworkers Alliance
STORM BABET - SUPPORT PALESTINIAN FARMERS
STORM BABET FLOOD APPEAL
Last week, amid an array of red weather warnings, Storm Babet hit the east coast of Scotland. Farmland across Angus and Dundee has been devastated by flooding, caused by extremely heavy rainfall and rivers bursting their banks, and three people have reportedly lost their lives. Many farmers, growers and landworkers, both from within our own membership and the wider farming community, have been severely affected.
