Friday 15 February 2013

Local shopping heaven

Well I've been in my element this week, what with trips to Jack Rabbits and Baked, but yesterday I really did find myself in local food heaven when I went for a lunchtime romp around the brilliant Brown and Green.

Local food at the garden centre
In a fantastic show of how communities of independent producers and retailers support and vouch for each other, I was actually pointed in the direction of this store by the couple who run Baked bakery in Derby. And it really was a spectacular recommendation.

Brown and Green is a business started by couple Euan and Susie Keenan and they run three shops in Derby, Stoke and Gloucestershire. They specialise in produce that is local, ethical and artisan, and the Derby store was opened nearly two years ago in Derby Garden Centre, in Little Eaton.

The first thing I notice as I enter the shop is how well labelled everything is. One of the big things that we, as consumers, are learning in the wake of the horse meat scandal is the importance of finding out where our food comes from, and B&G makes this really easy.


Pickles to taste

Labels and notices around the shop explain exactly where the produce was grown or made. I can see, for example, that much of the veg on sale was grown in Melbourne, in South Derbyshire. And there are also labels on the local produce telling shoppers exactly how far the food has travelled to reach the shop, so for example there are beers from Nutbrook brewery that were made four miles away. It's all very informative and really gives you confidence in what you're buying.
The selection really is great, with a huge cheese counter, meats, pies and pastries, drinks, confectionary, bread, dairy, fruit and veg, pickles and preserves, frozen goods, and much much more. It's the sort of shop were you could probably find something different to try every time you visit - like a veritable Santa's grotto of lovely food!

Veg grown in Derbyshire

It's open and airy - an advantage of setting up in a huge garden centre I expect - and various things are laid out for people to sample before they buy.

And the staff are hugely helpful. I got chatting to a chap working behind the cheese counter and I think I terrified him slighty with my gushing over-enthusiam for the shop. But he is very polite and friendly, and when I told him about my challenge to avoid the supermarkets he was really keen on the idea, asking me about where and how I've been shopping.

 The opening hours are more convenient too, with the shop staying open until 6pm daily.
Huge variety of cheese

Finally, the lazy girl in me loves Brown and Green because it's roughly the same distance as Morrisons from my office. The attentive will recall perhaps one or two (ha ha ha) occasions on this blog where I've had a little moan about having to dash out in the cold or rain at lunchtime to walk into Derby city centre and grab some shopping. And while having a break and a walk is really good for you and can be invigorating, there are time when I really just can't be arsed!

Brown and Green is a handy seven minute drive from the office (a little too far to walk), so the next time it's raining I'll be able to just flop into my car and drive somewhere local and non-supermarkety to get some butter or milk, rather than schlepping out into the rain. Wonderful!

In keeping with the loving local ethos, I've put a couple of the things I bought below with a few more details about where they were made.... (as well as a few cameos fromn my right hand!)




BANTER BEER from Nutbrook Brewery in West Hallam, Derbyshire. This brewery is family-run and makes a range of craft ales, recognised by Camra and the Great Taste awards.





SKIMMED MILK from Duffield Dairy in Duffield, Derbyshire. The website for this diary is brilliant, with photos and loads of information, and animal welfare is clearly at the heart of what they do. The site invites customers to "get you milk from Beryl, Dave, Listy or Wilderbeast" and goes on to say that the cows are "part of the family - not faceless numbers". I'm very entertained by the idea of Dave the cow giving milk - either Dave is a girl or we need to be doing a story on him in the Telegraph! The farm has been run by the Foster Family since 1965 and they use several breeds of cattle, including Jersey and Fresians.






PORK AND APPLE SAUSAGES made with free range pork from Buttercross Farm in Market Drayton, Shropshire. Okay okay, so not quite as local, but still plenty of information available on this farm, including how passionate they are about animal welfare. To my mind free range piggies are happier piggies, which makes me happier about Neil eating these sausages!




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