the welsh revolution....

On October 1st, Wales becomes the first UK country to charge for single use carrier bags.  The Welsh government estimates that people in Wales currently use 480 million a year, 350 million of which come from the major supermarkets, most of which end up in landfill.

80% of British shoppers put everything into free shopping bags. It's estimated that UK shoppers could go through as many as 60 bags a month which amounts to 720 bags a year, over 43,000 in an average lifetime.

The carrier bag charge applies to all retailers in Wales, not just those who sell groceries. The 5p charge is intended to be high enough to influence consumer behaviour and reduce the number of bags given out, without discouraging shoppers from shopping.

The Welsh government's message is that it's easy to avoid the charge - take a bag with you.

So to the forward thinking people of Wales, all I want to say is:  get a basket!

food, drink and morris dancing....

Last weekend's Tetbury Food and Drink Festival was busy and bustling. There was lots of seasonal produce....

and late summer colour.....

The children ran around, mouths full of ice cream and cake, unable to decide which lovely thing to try next. Dogs hovered optimistically, hoping that someone would drop a tasty morsel within reach. The sun shone and everybody enjoyed chatting and laughing, lingering in the late summer sunshine.

Winterbourn Down Morris entertained the crowd.

And a good time was had by all.

foodie weekend...

As we head towards Autumn, there are still lots of food festivals coming up to keep us entertained and well fed! This weekend sees festivals at opposite ends of the country, in Cornwall and Cumbria, or there's the Great British Cheese Festival in Cardiff.

Closer to home is the Tetbury Food and Drink Festival which is where I'll be on Sunday. Now in its fifth year, the Tetbury Festival is held just up the road from Highgrove, the home of HRH The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Westonbirt, the national arboretum.

So, if we can just persuade the rain to stop, we'll all be there enjoying a late summer glow!

independents day....

Today saw the launch of Bristol Independents, a new campaign to keep Bristol's high streets alive and highlight the city's diverse independent retailers.

As part of the launch, Bristol's Lord Mayor, Geoffrey Gollop, visited Whiteladies Road to meet independent retailers and market traders, including Greenbaskets! Here's the Lord and Lady Mayoress visiting the stall.

To celebrate buying ingredients locally, a recipe for Whiteladies Stir Fry has been created. As well as the farmers' market, ingredients for the stir fry can be bought from some of Whiteladies best known independent retailers, including:
Sheepdrove butchers, organic family butchers shop selling meat from Sheepdrove Farm in Berkshire.
Wild Oats, an eco-friendly shop for food-conscious shoppers.
Earthbound, a local organic shop with a Bristol-wide following.
Better Food Company, longstanding Bristol favourite.

So buy something from your local independent retailer and join the campaign to save our high streets....

september (and katia)...

 

Autumn's here and it's the beginning of another academic year. Term's begun, everyone's back at work and the traffic on the morning commute has doubled. The weather's changing and this weekend will bring us the remnants of Hurricane Katia.

The summer flew by. It feels like 5 minutes since we were making our holiday plans, looking forward to the garden being in full bloom, anticipating a summer full of festivals.

And now the garden is beginning to die. Last weekend I pruned the honeysuckle and clematis back into shape, and pulled up the comfrey, the sweet peas and the last of the sunflowers. I always worry that I'm being too brutal but it's usually fine. My beautiful standard bay tree, that I've been nursing all year, hoping against hope that it would recover from last winter's punishment, has shown no signs of recovery. Regrettably, I'm going to have to concede defeat.

Tomorrow is Thornbury Food Fair. I'm looking forward to lots of autumn produce and lovely plants. It's always busy and interesting and a little wind and rain won't put people off. The market traders will anchor their tables and gazebos and try to stop everything from blowing away. So do your worst Katia - we're ready for you!