Really interesting piece over on BigBarn, about whether or not farm shops are cheaper than your local supermarket. There’s a bit of a split emerging in the comments, between “yes they are” and the “no” camp. And, to be honest, I’ve seen both sides of that argument in different farm shops locally.

There’s a very large, well developed farm shop that I’ve been known to frequent, but even I sometimes baulk at the pricing on non-essential lines, and some of the veg. My local farm shop is nothing smart (some people have been known to object to the amount of mud in the yard, but it is a shop in a farm for heavens sake). It may not have trendy food brands, but it has great local stuff, I can talk to him about what he’s just butchered (I could have gone to look it at various points in its lifecycle) and I’ll come away thinking I’ve paid a fair price.

And I think that’s the thing we lose sight of. It’s about paying what’s a fair price to everyone involved in the chain, not some huge corporation creaming off  a large profit whilst the farmer sees very little of that. Or the consumer not necessarily seeing much more for their cash.

I am sure as times get tougher over the months ahead, then everyone will need to look at their pricing, and those who deliver fair value will hopefully win through. And this may be the perfect year to think of buying food gifts, as we all may end up cutting back a bit on the luxuries, and isn’t that what Christmas is made for? Even better, go out and find interesting things from local food producers, and your local farm shop may be just the place to start.

Make your own hampers up of local jam, honey, beer, cordial…whatever takes your fancy from your local area. I always think hampers are great for older recipients, who often say they don’t want or need anything, but would still appreciate the gesture of something delicious. If you’ve not found a farm shop near you, BigBarn is a great resource for tracking them down and, if that fails, try their online marketplace. Remember, there is no reason at all that fair trade shouldn’t start at home.

Great atmospheric shot of the fight against the onslaught by Tomek Augustyn on Flickr.

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* For those who like it spicy, or possible smokey as these would be good for barbecue lovers, then check out the Spicy Sauces set of 5 marinades. Travel the world with your marinades with hot Caribbean sauce, through to Mexican hot and sweet jalapeno and very hot Cajun. Make it a hot Christmas!

* For those who love it, they’ve got a great Marmite gift set. A Marmite cookbook will inspire them to do something else other than slather it on hot toast, but while they’re browsing then they’ve got a jar of Marmite and Marmite flavoured crackers to keep them going. This is not on my list. Ever.

*Package this one up with a great classic movie, and you’ve got a great night in brewing. The Home Cinema Popcorn pack gives you enough popping corn to make 10 large bowls of popcorn that you could dress in any way you chose. The box includes extra virgin rapeseed oil for perfect popping, but the other toppings are down to you! If you want a bit more variety, then there’s a 6 flavour version as well.

* For a savoury gift that’s both tasty and attractive looking then I love these pate gift boxes. Choose from Meat, Game or Fish variants, with three different variants of pate plus oatcakes or oval Alberts. Great change from lots of sweet sticky stuff at Christmas.

* If they’re big coffee lovers, then how about a tin of Grumpy Mule Yule organic and fairtrade coffee? With a hint of chocolate, this has been roasted with Christmas in mind. This is a dark roast with velvety tones, so perfect for post Christmas dinner to shock your system out of its stupor!

So, a few things for you to consider for a range of different foodie interests. Don’t forget to check out their range of table decorations and crackers as well, everything for the perfect Christmas day atmosphere.

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The spirit of mutual co-operation

Today is the 88th ICA International Co-operative Day and the 16th UN International Day of Cooperatives, which amount to the same thing. And this means more than just your local Co-Op, but certainly doesn’t exclude them, as one of the longest standing co-operatives in the UK.

The theme for this year is around how the cooperative model of enterprise can successfully empower women, but it is not excluding the men, as all of the community can benefit from these models. You only have to look at the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative behind Divine Chocolate to see the model in action, and benefiting all around them.

I also love the co-operatives has been one of the ways of keeping village shops alive, or bringing them back. In Cumbria, Alston Wholefoods is at the heart of the town, and is busy working with local producers to bring something different, as well as meeting the needs of the community.

My favourite example is Blockley Village Shop & Cafe. Blockley is an incredibly pretty village in the Cotswolds, but when Dr T and I stayed there in 1998 it was obvious that it was somewhat blighted by second home ownership (which we were contributing to by renting one) and the guts of the village was gone. Several types of champagne by the glass in the pub, but no village shop. Well, the community has obviously decided to fight back  and this place looks fantastic, but also is there for the people of Blockley, not just visitors. There’s a loyalty bonus to encourage people, and I love that how they are doing is very transparent on the website. I wish them continued success.

And then there’s the Co-Op. What can you say? Huge supporters of fairtrade, banning the sale of eggs from caged birds, the greenest grocer, and the country’s biggest farmer apparently, as well as having a commitment to improved animal welfare. Whilst I am sure they are not perfect (we’ve had some issues over labelling of chickens, which I think Hugh highlighted) it’s surely a step in the right direction. And they’ve been doing it for quite a while so pretty good at it.

As always, just one of the other things to think about when you spend your money on food. And if you can’t buy local, supporting a co-operative feels like your money will have wider spread benefits that just institutional shareholders in the big supermarkets. Which sounds like an idea I could truly co-operate with!

I love this photograph by NovriWahyuPerdana from Flickr. It’s worth heading over there to read the story, as the title really is The Spirit of Co-Operation.

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What will you swap?

The annual Fairtrade Fortnight started yesterday, and I like this year’s theme around asking people to swap just one thing they regularly purchase for the Fairtrade version. Small steps to change always seem much more manageable somehow!

So, bananas and coffee feel a bit old hat, and many will already be buying fairtrade (or did 5 years at The Body Shop do too much brainwashing on me?) Anyway, what else could you swap?

* Swap your vodka for Fair Vodka, the first Fairtrade certified vodka, and the first quinoa based in the world. At last, a decent use for the stuff! And apparently it does it very well as it was voted best tasting vodka 2009 at the New York Spirits award. Does good and tastes good then!

* Swap your regular basmati rice for Suma’s organic & Fairtrade brown basmati. That’s such an easy swap of such a basic item that it almost doesn’t need thinking about.

* Swap a morning brew for a morning brew from Make Us a Brew. Strong, full on, English breakfast tea that is both organic and fair traded. Not to mention it has very cute illustrations!

* Swap your regular beer for something quite different from Mongozo. Fruit based, you could try something like the Coconut Beer, and still keep to your fair trade principles.

* Swap your spice rack to fairly traded spices. I love Steenbergs anyway, but even more so for the fact that there is a large range of fair trade options available from them, as well as being organic. Even if you only switch one spice, it’s a start. I’m starting with cinnamon sticks.

So, take one small step and make one small change. But equally, I want to make another plea, and that is not to forget our own farmers and small producers, that they equally deserve a fair deal. Please get out there and support those working hard, delivering great animal welfare standards and great tasting produce. Small producers making products the traditional way, or inventing new ways, to really delivery high quality products. Fair trade for all!

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