There are some wonderful foods produced in Britain, despite what the French would have you believe. When I was living in France the cheese makers I spoke to told me of the problems them had trying to get a new generation interested in making the artisan cheeses. Most are now industrially made by large companies. Here in the UK the reverse is happening and there is a growing artisan market, not just in cheese but in a variety of foods. The growers are fighting back against the supermarkets who dictate how food will be produced. Just the other day I read that one of the supermarkets wouldn't buy local carrots because the shape wasn't perfect. They would rather have perfect flown from the other side of the world.
As a result we are seeing more and more local markets where the growers and independent producers are selling direct to us.
Made in Britain is one such market. You'll find them in Central St Giles in Holborn every Saturday and Sunday.
I bought a couple of those cheeses last week. Delicious!
13 comments:
I think it's a very good sign that artisan markets are gowing. I'd better buy healthy artisan cheese instead of 'plastic' one from the supermarket.
Thanks for interesting post!
I normally prefer Italian food. But I could give these a try.
Love cheese but too much is bad for you. Shame as I could live on it.
I, too, buy from farmers' markets if at all possible. The food is better. When I was in France, I noticed a huge difference in the quality of the food - it tasted very different than what we have in the US.
We need to see more of this everywhere we shop. Grow local, buy local, eat local!
A very interesting post. We're seeing some of the same thing here ... more and more farmer's markets are cropping up as people are looking for options other than the mass-produced, drug-filled goods in the supermarkets.
Thanks for your comment on Paree. Actually, the photo was taken in 2007. We celebrated our 55th this year in Tampa, Florida. :-)
Hmmm, cheese. Gosh, this all looks yum as. All you need is the wine.
Nicola
These look delicious. I've always loved the dairy products I've had in London (never once had bad food in London, actually, why does British food still get a bad rep?). The artisan movement has gained lots of momentum here and great to see the same in the UK.
We got some great cheeses at Borough Market when we were there two years ago.
G old for you I also buy fresh food and cheese on the farmers markets.
supermarkets wouldn't buy local carrots because the shape wasn't perfect. They would rather have perfect flown from the other side of the world.
That happened to tomatoes as well. Customers were claiming that they would buy the best tasting tomatoes, but in fact were buying best looking. Sellers and farmers were following customers tastes, and modern tomatoes lost the gene of sweetness.
Oh I agree!!!! Britain is sorely underestimated when it comes to their food!!! And the cheeses.... oh the cheeses.... I miss them!
Oh I agree!!!! Britain is sorely underestimated when it comes to their food!!! And the cheeses.... oh the cheeses.... I miss them!
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