Find local food today!

Just put in a keyword or your postcode below and we'll find you your local farm shops, farmers' markets, pick your own farms and farm attractions. First box is for keywords, like the name of a shop or a specific product you're after (like apples); the second box is for your postcode or town name.

Raise some Dough!!!

If you crave a good cottage loaf and savour a slowly reared sourdough, then you really should be on board with the Real Bread Campaign - its express mission is to support, train and promote proper bread made by genuine bakers.

11- 17 May 2013 is Real Bread Maker Week; Britain’s biggest annual, national celebration of Real Bread and its makers. Its aim is to encourage people to get baking Real Bread, by hand or by bread-maker, or buying it from independent bakers, farm shops and farmers' markets in their local communities. As well as raising awareness for Real Bread, the week is all about raising dough for people who have a tougher time than most of us to benefit from the social, therapeutic and employment opportunities Real Bread making offers.

For all the info you need on how to get involved, visit the Campaign website.

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The Hungry Gap - starting to fill!

We British have something of a reputation for donning the shorts and packing the picnics at the first sign of sunshine, while our European counterparts remain snug in their woollen knits for weeks to come. But after such a long, cold winter, perhaps we can be excused this year.

After the coldest Easter on record, warmth is slowly, gradually winning out. Farmers are sowing crops and lambing and with the change in weather comes a change to the range of crops on British farms - a warm (and overdue) welcome to the lively fresh flavours of asparagus, broad beans, salads, jersey royals and strawberries.

Unfortunately, with the ground so cold for so long, these early Summer delights are still a little way off.  As Ian Nelson, who farm at Sunnyfields Organic Farm in Hampshire says, ‘I’ve seen peas planted in the ground which just aren’t budging’.

Even with the best efforts of the supermarkets, we are in what is traditionally known amongst farmers and chefs as 'The Hungry Gap' and this year it has been particularly wide; the winter crops are finishing due to damp ground and late frosts, and the new season’s fruit and veg is only just appearing with the first asparagus being cut now.

So what do we eat if we want to stay seasonal and local? Well, according to Ian, whilst kales, cabbages and parsnips may be nearly at an end, leeks are fantastic, and so is rhubarb. Rocket and watercress are also traditionally in season, although growth has been slow. If you're a fervent forager, the young leaves of chives and garlic are lovely (you can’t miss the smell in woodland at the moment) and add a kick to soups, salads and marinades.

With less available at home, imports which are ‘in season’ elsewhere are valuable, including Spanish oranges and Italian chicory (incidentally a great combination together in a salad with a few walnuts).

Some crops are predicted to actually benefit from the prolonged cold snap, including apples and pears. Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples and Pears, a trade association of English growers, said that the prolonged cold snap had helped "put the trees to sleep" - a hibernation process essential for them to build up energy over the winter months, which in turn helps ensure a good crop later in the year. If, as predicted, the weather improves towards the end of April, the blossom should escape frost damage, producing a greater yield than last year's crops.

‘Things are going to be a bit later this year,’ concludes Ian, ‘but it always catches up in the end, and when things get going there will be plenty on offer.’

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