Food and climate change
Food makes a significant contribution to the average person's carbon footprint, because of how it is produced, transported, and stored. For more information see the Food Climate Research Network.
Eating less meet, eating organic, eating fresh, unprocessed local food and growing your own, are all ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your food. Some information to help you do this is below.
Farmers' Markets
Lancaster Farmers' Market is in Market Square
Hours: 2nd Saturday every month, 9-4pm.
Morecambe Farmers' Market is at Christ Church United Reformed Church, Broadway
Hours: 4th Thursday every month, 9-2pmHeysham Farmers' Market is held at St James' Church & Centre, Heysham Road, Heysham, Morecambe, Lancashire Hours: 2nd Friday of the month High Bentham Farmers Market offers a varied selection of products from the Cumbria/Yorkshire border with the comfort of an indoor location at High Bentham Market Hall. Organised by Made in Cumbria Hours: 1st Saturday of the month, 9.30am-1pm
Box Schemes
Many excellent ‘box’ schemes are available, bringing a selection of fresh, local produce to your doorstep every week. Some local suppliers are Growing with Nature (01253 790046), Nature’s Garden (01706 217832), Green Organics (01524 823788) and Growing with Grace (01524 251723). Often organic, the fruit and vegetables come from local producers, so have not travelled far, and support local growers.
The produce will be seasonal and therefore as fresh and tasty as possible. – the selection of food will change depending on the time of year, adding variety to your diet and providing opportunities to try out new recipes.
Grow your own
The freshest fruit and vegetables you can eat and with the lowest impact on the environment is to grow your own. You and your family can rest assured that your food is truly organic. Growing in the garden can be very rewarding but not having a garden needn’t be a barrier as good results can be achieved in pots and tubs.
Allotments are very cheap to rent, they cost around ₤30 a year. There are allotment sites close to many urban areas. Contact the council for more details, Tel: 01524 582061 or email:
sustainability@lancaster.gov.uk Supermarkets
Supermarkets haven’t been good at buying locally, but are gradually improving as a result of customer demand. Booths has a policy of sourcing local food where possible.
Look at labels as you shop to see where produce has come from; buy British rather than imported from far away to support home growers and reduce food miles.
Supermarkets will go to any lengths to keep customers happy so asking for local food will have a big impact on where they source produce from. The power lies in your hands!
Eating Out
More and more restaurants are sourcing their ingredients locally. If you eat there you will be supporting local producers and eating the freshest food around.
The Meeting House Restaurant (11/13 Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, 01524 848049) prides itself on using the best local fruit, vegetables, cheese, fish and meat from favourites such as Burt’s Butchers and Glasson Smokehouse. These ingredients are cooked to perfection and served in an understated and relaxing environment.
The Whale Tail Café (78a Penny Street, Lancaster, 01524 845133) has a policy of sourcing food locally where possible and using seasonal ingredients. The food is always imaginative, delicious and vegetarian with a selection of vegan meals also on offer.
The Austwick Traddock was the Organic Restaurant of the Year in 2006 . Set in a Georgian Country house and renowned for charm and friendliness, it prides itself on using local and seasonal ingredients, and organic produce whenever possible. Austwick, Lancaster, tel: 015244 51224.
Drinking out
Where does your beer come from? There are several local brewers – find a pub that sells local beer. Local breweries include Thwaites in Blackburn, Moorhouses in Burnley, Hawkeshead in Staveley. Micro breweries include Lancaster Brewery, Brysons in Morecambe and Dent Brewery in Dent.
Czech imported lager, for example, has come over 1000 miles by road and costs the environment a lot more than a local brew!
Farms
Next to growing your own, buying produce direct from near-by farms and dairies is an excellent way of keeping food miles to a minimum and supporting the local economy. Some examples of farms in the district are given here; LESS will be producing a directory of local food producers in 2008.
Bellfold Farm (Moorside Lane, Woodplumpton, Preston, tel: 01772 690387) is a family run organic dairy farm with an organic British Friesian Herd. Produce includes organic hen, duck and goose eggs, fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, organic Lancashire cheese and preserves.
Cliftons Farm (Silk Mill Lane, Inglewhite, Goosnargh, Preston, tel: 01995 640564) is a family run organic farm with a Jersey herd producing home made organic ice-cream in a variety of flavours and with their own organic fruit. Organic hen, geese and duck eggs are also available from farm gate sales as is fruit between May and October.
Keer Falls Forest Farm (Arkholme, Carnforth, tel: 01524 221019) produces delicious organic lamb and beef, rare breed lamb, forest ducklings and herbs).
Search for more local producers according to postcode at www.bigbarn.co.uk.
Eat Local Action Plan
The Food Forum of the Lancaster District Sustainability Partnership has produced an Eat Local Action Plan
The primary aim of this plan is to reduce climate change by reducing food miles.
However, as sustainable food is a complex and interdependent issue the implementation of this plan will also produce benefits in promoting health, supporting our local economy and celebrating our cultural heritage. For more information see www.lancaster.gov.uk/sustainability