All Saints Church, Wokingham

 

Good Food Guide

 

 

This Christmas use your LOAF and feel good about your food choices.

Buy Local, Organic, Animal friendly and Fairtrade  and cut your carbon footprint!

(For LOAF campaign info see www.christian-ecology.org.uk).

 

 

Your EcoCongregation team has researched local businesses that offer the kind of food that demonstrates your care and concern for creation, the local community and those in poverty elsewhere. Many have given us information about their businesses to pass on to you, and many have our personal recommendation!

 

 

BUTCHERS

B.A.McLeish, 73 Rances Lane, Wokingham, Berks, RG40 2LQ 0118 9786258 Opening hours Tues – Fri 7.30-5.30 Sat 7.30-4

Are you fed up with supermarket meat?  If so, give us a try.  We are stockists of Scotch Beef, English Lamb and English Pork.  We stock free-range chicken, home made pies, sausages and burgers.  Christmas orders are now being taken.

 

 

FARM SHOPS

Keith’s Farm Shop Park Farm West End Lane Warfield Berkshire RG42 5RH. 01344 428725

Open Wednesday until Sunday lunch; 9.15am – 6pm (5pm Sat; 12.30pm Sun). With a range of seasonal vegetables grown on its own land, Keith’s Farm Shop offers visitors to its store an assortment of fresh produce. On offer are runner beans, five different varieties of lettuce, marrows, courgettes, beetroots, cauliflower, brocolli, cabbage, and many more traditional garden items. A few chickens on the farm supply the shop with free range eggs, and many locally produced items are brought in as well, such as jams and cakes.

 

 

Sheeplands Farm Shop Hare Hatch Sheeplands plant centre is situated on the London Road between Twyford and the A4.  0118 940 1600 Normal opening hours are 8.30 to 5.30 although there are some variations over the Christmas period.

Its on-site farm shop prides itself on supplying fresh produce from local suppliers and has a plentiful supply of in-season British fruit and veg. It can cater for special dietary requirements and includes an award-winning butcher.  Noted for its welcoming and friendly service the centre also has a coffee shop, pet shop and florist on site.

 www.harehatchsheeplands.co.uk.

 

 

Lockey Farm Shop, Sindlesham Road, Arborfield, RG2 9JH 0118 976 1063 Opening Hours Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30 Sat 9-5, Sun 10-2. 

The farm is a keen supporter of local, small producers of fresh fruit and vegetables, beers and wines.  It produces sausages and burgers on site including gluten free from locally sourced meat.  Lamb reared on farm.  It provides eggs, and has a whole deli counter of cheeses including Barkham Blue and other local cheeses.  There is a craft market on 11th December 4p.m. – 9 p.m. The shop is currently taking turkey orders for Christmas.

 

 

WYSIPIG, Ellis' Hill Farm, Sindlesham Road, Arborfield, Berkshire

RG2 9JG. 0118 976 2221 Opening hours Wed-Sun from 10-4

Wysipig is based in Arborfield, in the Coombes woodland, just behind Bearwood College. Access is via Sindlesham Road.  They breed British Saddlebacks and Berkshire pigs.  Their pork, bacon and sausages can be found for sale in their farm shop, or at a number of local Farmers' Markets including Wokingham and Woodley.  They have an Open Day on the second Saturday of each month, with a vintage tractor display and hog-roast.  www.WYSIpig.co.uk

 

 

 

Rooks Nest Farm, Rooks Nest Farm, Barkham Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 4EU 01189 732 323 Opening hours Fri and Sat 10-4.30.

At Rooks Nest Farm we rear all our beef from our farm and our pork through our farmshop. We also attend all the local farmers markets.

 

 

Stokes Farm Stokes Farm, Binfield Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 5PR  0118 9775012 Opening hours daily 9-4

Here at Stokes Farm we produce really tasty and uniquely fresh free range eggs. Everyday our hens roam in the fields, free to enjoy themselves in the great outdoors. We are approved by Lion Code and Freedom Food, ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare and food safety.  We also produce potatoes in season and sell local honey all year. Come along to the farm to pick up your produce and meet our farm animals.  Place an order and we will deliver directly to your door. http://www.stokesfarm.co.uk/

 

ORGANIC WINES

 

Vintage Roots, Holdshott Farm, Heckfield, RG27 0JZ. Freephone 0800 980 4992.  Opening hours Mon-Fri 8.30-5.30 http://www.vintageroots.co.uk/

 

Based in Heckfield, Vintage Roots are the UK’s leading supplier of Organic wines. Whether it’s a bottle Pinot Grigio or a case of 1er Cru Meursault, we have the wine for you. Free local delivery (RG1-10, RG12, RG14, RG17-31, RG40-42 and RG45) is available on all 12+ orders or collection available from Holdshott Farm, Heckfield, RG27 0JZ.

 

 

 

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS – buy direct or nearly direct from  local producers

 

Wokingham – Thursday December 3rd,             Reading – Saturday December 5th

Windsor – Saturday December 5th,      Ascot – Sunday December 20th

 

 

 

YOUR LOCAL ORGANIC FOOD CO-OPERATIVE 

 

True Food Co-op offers a huge range of organic wholefoods, fresh fruit and vegetables and eco-friendly household products at markets held in neighbourhood community centres near you. True Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organisation based in Reading, Berkshire and serves the surrounding areas in Berkshire from markets at church halls and community centres.  You do not need to be a member to shop at our markets and entry is free. For dates and times of markets (Reading, Earley and Caversham on regular days) visit: http://www.truefood.coop/   (Note that if you bring back good reports on this one, we’ll try to bring it to Wokingham for you!)

 

  

ORGANIC DELIVERY

The following websites offer deliveries of organic food locally including special Christmas boxes.  These companies never air freight.

Abel & Cole  www.abelandcole.co.uk – based in Wimbledon they do a wide range of products including ecover cleaning products and fish. They deliver in RG40 on Mondays.  Call 08452 636465

 

Riverford  www.riverford.co.uk – our local distributor is Ruth Oakman on 0845 600 2311 who is based in Wokingham. They deliver to RG40 on Fridays. They sell most things, including organic wine. There is a lovely weekly update on what’s happening on the farm in Sutton Scotney, Hampshire.  They also hold events and claim they are 19% cheaper than the supermarkets. They buy from farmers in the third world.

 

 

 

OTHER LOCAL SHOPS:

 

 

Pedro’s Deli, Holme Grange Craft Centre, Wokingham, 0118 979 5125, http://www.holmegrange.co.uk/

 

 

Gray Farm Shop Heathlands Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3AN    0118 978 5386

http://www.graysfarm.co.uk/ (Please note Grays Farm is now closed until April 2010)

 

The Smelly Alley Fish Company, 11a Union Street, Reading, RG1 1EU  0118 939 3076 www.thesmellyalleyfishcompany.co.uk 

 

 

 

USEFUL WEBSITES:

 

www.generous.org.uk (lots of ideas for an ethical Christmas)

http://www.soilassociation.org/ (all about organic food)

 

 http://www.localfoodadvisor.com/ (lists local food producers)

http://www.greenlink-berkshire.org.uk/local_economy.htm (passport into all things green going on in this area, including places to buy food)