Local Food
- Have you ever wondered how far your food has travelled before landing on
your plate? Food miles are one of the largest contributers to our CO2 emissions,
yet by eating local food we can reduce our impact and help support local businesses.
Not only that but local seasonal fruit and vegetables often taste better!
It is easy to buy locally because there are several shops in Melksham that
sell local fruit, vegetables, meat and organic products. These include Lovejoys,
Newman Butchers, the Old Bakery and Church Farm Meats in Broughton Gifford.
The local area is also served by some excellent farm shops including Neston
Park Farm, Lowden Garden centre and the Whitehall Garden Centre. Many of the
local cafés, restaurants and pubs also use local produce including the Arthouse
café, the Kings Arms, the Pear Tree and the Somerset Arms.
Comprehensive lists of the local
restaurants and the local
shops are available from the Melksham
People Web site.
MCFG encourages everyone to question the food miles on the products that they buy and also to avoid buying products that are excessively wrapped in plastic. MCFG is concerned by the excessive use of carrier bags and strongly supports the campaign for Melksham to become plastic bag free. See Campaign for a plastic bag-free Melksham.
Food Festival - Melksham is host to an annual Food and Drink Festival. The event usually takes place in June/July at various venues in and around the Melksham area. There is a food and drink fair, demonstrations by local chefs and the emphasis is placed very much upon local produce. The festival has a Facebook page.
Fairtrade - MCFG has a partnership with the Melksham Fairtrade Group. Melksham was awarded Fairtrade town status on 29th October 2007 and many local shops, restaurants, cafés and community groups were selling Fairtrade produce and hosting Fairtrade events. If you are interested in finding out more about Fairtrade then take a look at the Fairtrade Foundation Web site. If you’d like to be involved in local activities then contact Marieke Guy (through the MCFG contact form).
