Sustainable Food Trust - Eating Local in Bristol: Working together

The third in a series looking at eating locally in Bristol, focusing on the networks and collaborations that set Bristol apart. 

"With agricultural land prices rocketing over the last five years, one of the main challenges for new producers is gaining access to affordable and secure land. A great example of the kind of creative partnerships that happen in the city can be found at Feed Bristol, an Avon Wildlife Trust site that focuses on demonstrating ecological food production practices. Along with the educational side of the project, the site also hosts several growing operations including Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm Sims Hill Shared Harvest, salad producers Edible Futures, and Upcycled Mushrooms. “There’s a lot of challenges facing new start-ups,” Matt Cracknell, project manager at Feed Bristol explains, pointing out the investment needed to get businesses, that are not significant income generators, off the ground. By allowing new businesses to offer in-kind support to the site rather than paying rent for the land, they reduce key overhead costs. One of their growers, Humphrey Lloyd from Edible Futures, describes the value of the arrangement: “Working here, you benefit from a system of shared infrastructure that helps get around the costs that inhibit many new entrant growers. It’s also a social place to work, so you rarely get the lonely field blues often associated with farming.”"

Excerpt from Sustainable Food Trust, September 2017, Words and photographs

Sustainable Food Trust - Eating Local in Bristol: From farm to table

The second in a series looking at local food in Bristol, this time focusing on the different routes to market for producers.

"Restaurants face many challenges in their sourcing; chefs often demand high quality and consistency in their produce and struggle to plan far enough ahead to work with small-scale producers. Why would a restaurant choose to go that extra mile when it comes to local produce, and how can they form direct relationships with local producers? Birch, in Southville, grow around half of their vegetables themselves on a smallholding in Whitchurch, with most of the rest of their produce sourced directly from local farms, including sides of pork from Mary Holbrook at Sleight Farm, that they butcher themselves. Owner and chef Sam Leach describes why sourcing locally is important to them; “We have to think about re-localising the food system. It’s a huge challenge but all you can do is pick your thing and do it well. We try to grow as much as we can in our plot, and then support other people who are doing things we think are good.” "

Excerpt from Sustainable Food Trust, September 2017, Words and photographs. 

Sustainable Food Trust - Eating Local In Bristol: What is produced and where?

The first in a series of three articles looking at what local food is produced around the city and highlighting some of the best examples. 

"With falling prices in the dairy industry, more than half the dairy farms in the South West closed between 2002 and 2016. Supporting local farms has never seemed more vital, but how have farms in the area adapted? “For us, cheese making is all about farming – you have to be an entrepreneur to survive!” Hugh Padfield from Park Farm, points out. After the reforms in the 1980s that allowed farmers to retain some of the milk they produced, his father tried his hand at artisan cheese making and now the Bath Soft Cheese Company uses just over half the milk produced on the farm, around 550,000 litres a year, for making cheese. Looking around, there’s lots of other examples of creative dairy businesses in the region: Brown Cow Organics yoghurt, Marshfield Farm and Chews Moos ice cream, and a number of other farm-based cheesemakers such as Trethowan’s Dairy and Godminster."

Excerpt from Sustainable Food Trust, August 2017. Words and Photographs.

Waterfront - Ups and Downs

Looking at the challenges of elevation on canals and the different innovative approaches that have been taken to address this.

"In the mid-18th century, James Brindley changed the world of canal construction forever, armed with a large round of Cheshire cheese. Faced with the challenge of crossing the River Irwell in Lancashire, he knew he had to convince Parliament that his new structure was the way forward.  Apparently, Brindley demonstrated the unconventional idea of carrying one body of water above another by dividing the cheese into two equal halves, to represent the semicircular arches, and then laying a rectangular object over the top to show how the the river would flow below the aqueduct and the canal would flow above (as told in Memoir of James Brindley, John Weale, 1844). Although dismissed by many for his proposed ‘castle in the sky’, Brindley won them around and the Barton Aqueduct (opened 17 July 1761) went on to become the first navigable aqueduct in the country, and remained a pioneering structure until the use of cast iron allowed more ambitious projects to be built. In 1805, Thomas Telford completed the 307-metre Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal, which is today the longest navigable aqueduct in the UK. At 38 metres, it’s also the highest in the world. The construction of the ‘Ponty’ included some unorthodox methods: oxblood was mixed into the mortar (it was believed to strengthen a building) and supposedly the cast iron joints were caulked with flannel dipped in boiling sugar, before being sealed with lead."

Excerpt from Waterfront, August 2017, Words only. 

Walnut Magazine - Eat your Seagreens

A Q&A with Seagreens founder Simon Ranger looking at the importance of seaweed and how his values have shaped his business.

"Where do you see the crossover between food and health in today’s culture?
You still find nutrition supplements in one part of a health store, and foods in another. But the
dividing line is increasingly blurring as many brands, even in the mainstream, are now producing products that are absolutely food, but it's carefully produced, highly nutritious food that is valuable for your body and may come in the form of a ready meal, a carton or a capsule. The health message is being taken seriously, and consumers are not afraid to demand information. I think these are good signs. Know your self, yes - and know your food!"

Excerpt from Walnut Magazine, Issue 02, August 2017. Words only. 

Waterfront - Over and Under

A feature looking at the curious history of different bridges on the canal network across the UK.

"You might notice that the towpath sometimes switches to the opposite side of the canal. This may have originally come down to a landowner who refused to allow the canal path to run through their land, but it was also to ensure that the pull on the horse’s shoulder was balanced. To avoid the time consuming and awkward task of unhitching the horse, roving or turnover bridges were invented. Different regions adopted their own unique approach… 

The Macclesfield Canal is known for its beautiful stone bridges; some of its finest are six turnover bridges, locally known as ‘snake’ bridges. A ramp on one side leads up onto the overpass, which then spirals back under the bridge on the opposite bank, allowing the horse to ascend, cross and descend, without obstructing the tow rope. The smooth, stone form prevented the line from snagging, although if you look closely you may see the stonework worn away in places. This is evidence of decades of ropes running over the stone’s surface."

Excerpt from Waterfront, June 2017, Words only. 

Ernest Journal - Restoration & Roasting

Feature of Bristol coffee micro-roastery, Extract Coffee, focusing on head roaster David Faulkner's love of restoration.

"Restoring the roasters has furnished David with an exceptional knowledge about how they work, so he’s perfectly placed to maintain them. “We roast a hell of a lot of coffee on them,” he says, “and they’re 60 years old already, but they’ll probably still be going in another 100 years if they’re looked after and cared for.”

You can sense his love of these machines – one of the reasons why Extract has opted to stick with them rather than buy a more modern high tech roaster. “There’s still a craft and skill behind it,” David explains. “You have to be there, working the machine and understanding how it works and how coffee roasts. Roasting is about picking the point – a time and a roast where you think the coffee is right. We spend a long time looking for amazing coffee that we love, and then roasting each in a different manner to bring out particular flavours in the profile. It’s just finding the right profile for the right coffee; that’s where the skill is. You’ve got to learn how to do it, to train your palate.” And the Extract approach to this? “We do it as a team; we learn together, we educate each other, and practice is the biggest one.”"

Excerpt from Ernest Journal Issue 6, April 2017. Words and photographs.

Walnut Magazine - A Journey of Discovery

A six page feature chronicling how my experience of farming has shaped the way I eat and my understanding of good food.

"All of this together has made eating a different experience. I cook a piece of meat and I
picture the land it was raised on and the person who reared it. I cut a slice of cheese and
understand how it was made and whose hands crafted it. I slice some vegetables and I think
of the soil it was grown in and the farmer whose sweat went into producing it. Behind every
meal is a story, a person. It’s brought a new joy to food for me and one that returns at every
meal. This food is about more than flavour and nutrients; it’s about connection."

Excerpt from Walnut Magazine, Issue 01, February 2017, Words and photographs

Let's Explore Magazine - The Two Places I Call Home

A four page feature looking at the notion of home and the process of decision making.

"It’s early July 2015. I don’t know the date because the days run into each other here, the number a measure that’s meaningless in this place. I’m sat by a river; the wide, slow moving Slocan River in British Columbia, Canada. It’s 35 degrees, and I’m cradling a beer as my skin dries off after a swim. Across the water, tree covered hills rise up the other side of the valley; the scenery a spectrum of greens in the summer sun.

The time has come to decide; the clock keeps ticking and visas need to be applied for or plane tickets bought. I can’t put it off any longer - I have to choose a path. But it’s not as simple as just staying or going. I’m picking between two places I call home; places that make me happy and fulfil me, but in very different ways. How do you make such a choice, when the two options lead in such different directions, and there’s no second chances?"

Excerpt from Let's Explore Magazine, October 2016. Words and photographs.

Ernest Journal - 30 hours off-grid

A travel feature, exploring the off-grid island of Lasqueti, nestled off the west coast of British Columbia.

"I immediately notice a Lasqueti institution that I’d read about online: the honesty-box cookie stand. It’s even more incredible than I’d imagined: shelf upon shelf of Rice Krispie squares, chewy ginger snaps, crack cookies (didn’t ask) and banana muffins. As I stand in awe (and
indecision), I get chatting to a young couple who are staring at “la shack” and ferreting around in their pockets for change. I treat them to a peanut butter cookie.

Ten minutes later, we’re crammed into the back of a pick-up, along with four other arrivals and a large shaggy dog. It appears I’ve arrived on a fortuitous day, as most of island’s 300 (often reclusive) residents are heading to the community hall to celebrate the Fall Fair, drink scrumpy and have an outer island knees-up.

We’re greeted by the smoky smell of roasting pig and the sound of fiddles and tin whistles on the porch."

Excerpt from Ernest Journal Issue 5, August 2016. Words and photographs.