How to test your local chef/restaurant?

Ever traded your home grown veg for a meal at your local pub/restaurant?

I have a big crop of Beetroot, courgettes and squash in my veg patch this year so have been taking some to my local eateries. My friends have been embarrassed by the odd looks we get from the staff but soon appreciate the initiative.

My thinking is that in an age where restaurants need convenience and cheap ingredients, most are forced to buy from national wholesalers who buy from packers who have contracted farmers to grow high yielding, long shelf life, varieties of veg. The long supply chain often means ingredients are low quality, generic and expensive.

Any passionate chef should really love my unusual, fresh, tasty, varieties of veg.

So far it turns out that many local chefs do appreciate my contribution and my local Indian restaurant gives us a few extra side dishes in return.

I can understand why a busy chef may react the wrong way but would love to see more cafes, pubs and restaurants welcome produce grown by their customers, or even school, and be recognised as a major contributor to their local food community.

This is all part of our Crop for the shop initiative and many pubs and restaurants around the UK have been actively inviting locals to grow produce for them for years.

To get involved simply look for a Carrot flag on icons on our local Food Map. Or join our competition and send us your local food outlets if not on the map.

As Brexit gets closer perhaps we can reduce the NHS budget on food related disease and save the UK food industry by all growing and trading fresh healthy food.