Welcome to the latest design of BigBarn.co.uk! Among the improvements you’ll find that the maps display much quicker than before, plus now you no longer have to enter a complete postcode. We’ve also tried to add some features that will allow you to contribute to BigBarn.
As you know, BigBarn is about promoting local food, and if you’ve shopped from your local butcher, farm shop or fishmonger we want to know about it. Each producer’s listing now has a facility allowing you to leave comments and recommendations so you can get peer-to-peer feedback about local food producers.
We’ve also opened up a discussion forum so if you want to chat about food issues, talk about a food producer or find out what to do with celeriac, you can chat away to like minded people.
Finally, we’ve started a series of features in which BigBarn staff will discuss their local food experiences. Bill Newton discusses the pros and cons of buying all of his food locally, Toby White passes on his horticultural tips and MD Ant Davison discusses the food and farming industries.
We are always open to suggestions for the website and we are always trying to improve the website so if you have any suggestions, please let us know. Or, if you want to show your support for BigBarn and local food please register here.

The first week of buying local was a success. We had some good meals with all the fruit and veg, the meat was very tasty and I put some in the freezer for another week.

I went back to the butchers and got one of the chickens we talked about the week before. I havent cooked it yet so I will let you know when I do but it looks good. Their Barford bangers are really tasty and look set to become a regular thing. I also got some mince and used it to make burgers to eat while watching the footie. England lost but the burgers were good.

The veg box came again and had a load of good stuff, some the same as the week before but some new things as well. I cooked stir fry cabbage with soy sauce to go with a duck we had and it went really well.

I have found some local game dealers near here and I am looking forward to trying them in the next few weeks. I love pheasant and I havent had rabbit for a long time so I think they are next on the list. Casserole or pie will do well for either of those I think.

I have hardly been to the supermarket in two weeks now but I still need to get some things from there until I can find them from a better source. I mean things like pasta and rice. I havent found anywhere else for those yet. I also still go there for wine or beer usually but again I will try and change that as well.

I you would like to register with BigBarn then we will send you info on whats happening on the site, like our new redesign, and also special offers from producers who are local to you.

My neighbour loves to watch me toiling away digging in the garden. He swears blind that with careful management and covering the soil in the winter there is no need to dig the soil over. He shakes his head in disbelief as I first rotovate and then dig the soil over. My answer to his amusement is three fold.
Digging is one of the best forms of exercise there is, using all parts of the body with a low body stress rate, it also strengthens the back, which is a major cause of complaint for many people.
Digging is also incredibly stress relieving. There are not really many thoughts that hold in the mind when you are trying to turn the soil over.
Thirdly the soil needs airing and breaking up to grow the root vegetables we all love to eat.
Funnily enough my neighbour blames his stony soil for his poor potato and carrot crop! Strange as my soil next door is lush and rich!
My dad who is an avid digger, and who to my mothers consternation digs the soil even when its already been done, grows some of the best potatoes and carrots in the area. They are so popular with the family members he has to grow over 300 roots! Having had to feed four kids on a shoestring budget he could not afford the crop to fail so he found out what worked best and stuck to it. Just like in so many parts of life there is no easy solution, hard graft is needed to reap the rewards.

My advice is start in the winter and dig the earth over into sods as large as are manageable for you. This keeps the earth aired over the winter period and also helps if you are planning on putting muck on the soil. Pre dig the ground before you plant the root vegetables and if possible use planks to walk down the side of your rows this keeps the soil light and stops it compacting.
Then just keep the hoe moving and watch those fresher than fresh veg enjoy the tilled soil.

Ok, Like a lot of people who are interested in BigBarn I have considered the idea of buying only local produce and as little as possible from supermarkets but the reality has been that I have gone for the convenience of supermarket shopping.

Since joining BigBarn, a month ago now, I realised I should stop thinking and start doing! I will share my experiences and thoughts in the hope that it might convince some of you to take the plunge and move away from supermarkets towards buying local.

I started with the easiest thing to organise which was vegetables. We are lucky that we have a good veg box scheme in our area (Willis and Hayllar 01234 708433). All it took was a phone call and the box was delivered to my wifes work on Friday. No travel no hassle, easy so far. The main difference in getting veg like this is that you dont choose what you are getting but this is a bonus in many ways. The box arrived with a real selection of stuff with loads of fruit and really nice fresh veg. Everything arrives fresh and ready to eat so unlike things from the supermarket which are grown to last as long as possible you do have to use the fruit and veg but that is the idea. There is no veg that is difficult to cook so while you might not have cooked something that arrives for a while or even ever before it is not hard to find out how. It makes you think about what you are cooking and try some new recipes which is great. I always used to buy the same old things from the supermarket and it was unusual I experimented with something new. Now every week will be a mini experiment.

The next thing to source was meat. This proved to be a bit more work than the veg which couldnt have been easier. There is a direct farm based butchers (Southalls 01234 870333) in the village where BigBarn is based so that was the most obvious place to start. The work aspect came in the fact that I had to make time during lunch to get to the butchers and also that I had to go with an idea of what I wanted but also be flexible enough to change my mind depending on what they had in. As it turned out they had some great sausages, minced beef, pork steaks, and liver which I wanted to try as I hadnt had for ages. I would have liked a chicken especially after Ants article on farmed supermarket chicken. When I asked about chicken they told me that they would have some of their own free range chickens next week, perfect. That is the first thing on the list for next week then.

These things become easier once you start, the veg box is now a regular order every week and the butcher is already letting me know what will be in next week or they are able to source something special as long as it is the right season. I did have to visit the supermarket for some things but the bill was now greatly reduced and the meat and veg were loads better bought locally. We have a bread maker at home which means you dont need to get bread from the supermarket but you could use a local baker if you dont have a bread maker. If you can remove as many reasons as possible for going to the supermarket then you are less likely to spend money while you are there.

Cost was an issue in this new regime. I think many people are put off the idea of buying local because they think the supermarket is much cheaper. The veg cost no more than I would spend in a normal week and I think I got a greater quantity of veg than I would have for the money at the supermarket. We certainly had enough and we had loads more fruit than in a supermarket shopping week. The meat was cheaper if anything and I know it was better quality and it had a much better life before it made it to the butchers. All round the experiment has started very well and I am certainly carrying on with this way of shopping.

As for the liver, my wife Emma was not as keen as me on eating it but then as a vet it was a bit difficult to try and disguise it as something else to fool her. We might not be repeating that experiment but we will see.

I have a huge internal conflict to overcome.

I work for BigBarn. I champion the British food producer. I support “buying locally”. I shout out against the fact that supermarkets import vegetables from far flung countries when those same vegetables are produced on (in) British soil.

However, I love foreign food. In Portugal (not a country high up the culinary league table) I loved the freshness of the produce – bright yellow corn-fed chickens, huge, sweet tomatoes – and I practically lived on Chicken Piri-Piri – grilled chicken with a “hot-as-the-sun”chilli sauce. In Greece I loved nibbling on olives, feta, prawns and squid. Even the more traditional Greek dishes – rabbit stew, stuffed aubergines – can’t be brought home.

I’d always thought that if you shop locally, then many of these exotic, Mediterranean ingredients are lost to you. Until last night.

Laid up in my sickbed (I swear the Missus is trying to poison me) I happened to watch Rick Stein’s Food Heroes in which he pointed out that a vast amount of ingredients such as tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers and peppers are grown in the UK.

Couple that idea with the fact that just down the road in Leighton Buzzard there is a buffalo farmer who makes a bit of mozzarella on the side.

Even BigBarn’s Bill Newton’s good lady is growing basil, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers in their back garden.

So you see, local produce doesn’t have to mean turnips, swedes, cabbage and spuds – it can just as easily recall holidays by the Med.

Admittedly, the supermarkets still treat ingredients of a Mediterranean ilk as “luxury” and as such we have to pay a premium. Rocket is a weed. Pop a bag of it in your supermarket trolley and your wallet will flinch. Tomatoes – which are commonly grown by British producers – are generally fairly lifeless when sourced from the big stores. When bought fresh from a producer who cares for his product, who doesn’t pick the fruit too early, who will sell his crop when it’s ready rather than when it’s demanded, and those same tomatoes become a delight.

Don’t believe me? Eat a home grown tomato. Then eat one from a supermarket. Job done.

Obviously, there will still be a reliance on foreign produce. We can’t produce olive oil in the UK, and as far as I know, there is no great squid or prawn population in the North Sea. But that’s fine. I have no problem buying foreign produce as long as it’s not at the expense of a UK producer. (Let’s face it, if there’s one thing the Greeks and Italians do very well it’s olive oil.)

So you see – buying British doesn’t mean being boring. In many cases, it means eating better.

Recipes:

Tomato, Basil and Mozarella Salad

This is a tricky dish. Not to be tried unless you are an experienced chef. [Tongue wedged firmly in cheek]

Ingredients (quantities precise [Tongue firm....]):

Some mozarella
Some tomatoes
Some basil
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

Method:

Rip the mozzarella into chunks and lay out on a plate. Cut the tomatoes into slices and mix with the mozzarella. Rip the basil leaves and sprinkle over the tomatoes and cheese. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil (the flavour of the oil goes particularly well with basil and tomato so you can add more than you’d probably think you’ll need.

Goes very well with most pasta dishes, or will do as a lunch with some fresh bread. And a glass of white wine.

Ratatouille

Easy, tasty. My Mum used to serve this with bangers and fried mushrooms which might sound odd, but was a firm family favourite.

Ingredients:

6 tomatoes (or 1 tin of decent chopped tomatoes, if you must)
1 medium onion
2 courgettes
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
Glug olive oil
Glass of red wine
Herbs – I prefer oregano (normally dried) but basil or thyme would be just as good
Teaspoon of sugar
Salt, pepper

Method:

Chop the onion – not too finely – and peel and crush the garlic cloves. Pour the olive oil into a deep, wide pan and add the onions and garlic. Turn on the heat and cook over a medium flame (you don’t want the onions to brown too much).

After about 5-6 minutes the onions will be translucent and become sticky and sweet. At this point fill the kettle and turn it on. Chop the courgettes into 1cm thick discs.

Use wooden spoon or spatula to shove the onions and garlic to one side of the pan and add the courgette slices. Cook until the courgettes are lightly browned, turn and brown the other side.

Chop the tomatoes and add to the pan. After a minute or two add the sugar and the wine. Increase the heat until the tomato/wine sauce has reduced and thickened. Add the herbs and season to taste.

How to grow rocket at home

Find a container/pot/bucket. Fill with mud.

Sprinkle seeds on mud.

Sprinkle a little more mud over seeds.

Spill a glass of water on mud.

Abandon container/pot/bucket in sunny place.

Forget.

Every few days or so spill more water on mud.

When green stuff sprouts out of mud, eat it.

Or, go to supermarket and pay through the nose.

We don’t like seeing our kids bite their finger nails yet many people are happy to give hooves and untold other ‘recovered meat’ hidden in a nicely packaged burger or sausage.
The big con however is that pound for pound ready made burgers are often more expensive than prime minced beef. Now we are in the Bar-b-que season we can find all sorts of flourescent coloured meats displayed in chiller cabinets.
I say ignore it and buy the cheaper ‘prime’ mince to make up your own tasty burgers. Dead easy; chopped onion, egg, garlic, mustard, herbs and seasoning. Not only will you be eating good low fat food but also avoiding some very nasty e numbers.
Of course for the best beef mince look on your local map for prime, well hung beef and register with BigBarn to receive special offers from local producers.

Well so some manufactures would have us believe. In reality cereals contain things you would never imagine.

My dad always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I agree, but what if that meal is the unhealthiest of the day as well.

My major problem with breakfast cereals today is the sheer amount of sugar, salt and fat they contain. Now you would expect frosted or chocolate covered varieties to have sugar in them but the amount is amazing and the variety of cereals which have high volumes of sugar is the concern.

The way to see the exact amounts of sugar in cereals is by looking on the nutritional information box on the side of the packet. This will tell you the amount of carbohydrate (which sugars) per 100g. This is then the exact percentage of sugar in the box of cereal. Quaker Sugar Puffs contain 49g per 100g. That means that HALF of that box of cereal is sugar. Can you imagine? The same box tells you the salt and fat but be careful how you interpret the figures. The salt content is often listed as sodium and to work out the salt content you need to multiply this by 2.5!

Most worrying is so called healthy options or low fat cereals these can contain high amounts of sugar, salt and fat as well. Golden Grahams which if not a healthy option then defiantly marketed as a wholesome family cereal contain 1g of salt per suggested serving size. This may not sound much but it represents 4 times the amount of salt in a 25g bag of roasted salted peanuts and you wouldnt give 4 bags of peanuts to your child for breakfast would you? Guess what, Kelloggs All Bran has a similar high amount of salt; see what I mean about healthy options.

In so many of these issues it is the food marketed to children which is the worst offender. Deserving special mention is Nestle Lion Cereal. Although it does not have a high proportion of salt it has minimal fibre content, high sugar, high saturated fats and high trans fat. Please please do not buy this for your kids thinking they are having a healthy breakfast.

OK so now the good news Shredded Wheat and Bitesize both contain no added salt or sugar, they are made by Nestle but that is another issue. Wheetabix is also a good option and often available in supermarkets own brand rather than Kelloggs or Nestle again. All types of porridge oats are good and make a great winter breakfast.

The main point of all this is to be aware of what you are eating in the morning and as always never believe what big manufactures tell you in their marketing.

To read the whole recent survey by the British Consumer Association on Cereal Offenders click here.

And enjoy your breakfast!