Passionate about Local Foods (page 2)

Honey Blossom Farm, based in the northern Cotswolds is where the deliciously sweet Fosse Way Honey is produced. The honey is collected from 300 beehives in the area and it is the mixture of woodlands, farmlands and garden plants in the local countryside that creates this divine honey nectar.

One of the oldest cheese-making families in the country, Fowlers has been making handcrafted cheeses for 13 generations. The dairy is based among the leafy pastures of Earlswood, and has produced several Gold and Silver award-winning products. The Original Sage Derby follows a recipe that is over 100 years old to produce a mellow-flavoured cheese that is traditionally layered.

The idea for Gloucester Brewery came about over a pint in a pub (what else?) and was formed by Jared Brown in 2011. It is now housed in a converted stables in the historic Gloucester Docks and has grown a huge following thanks to a careful combination of quality hops and traditional fermenting processes. Only four ingredients are needed for quality craft beer: hops, malt, yeast and water.

This family cheese-making business is presided over by Liz Godsell, a passionate advocate of all things cheese. Based in the Cotswold village of Leonard Stanley, her small team, consisting of family members and friends, makes award-winning cheeses. One of their most popular cheeses is the award-winning Traditional Single Gloucester. This cheese has a P.D.O. – Protected Designated Origin.

You can’t forget the iconic medieval names of Goff’s Brewery’s four ales: Jouster, White Knight, Tournament and Black Knight, and neither can you forget the taste. Winners of several awards, these real ales have been brewed in Winchcombe since 1994 by Marcus and Alison Goff. Jouster was the first ale brewed, and is a tawny-coloured ale with a light hoppiness in its aroma.

Discover a new best friend for life with Sarah and James Pickering’s range of real ales. What started out as an enthusiastic hobby has grown to become an exciting business for the couple, based in Northamptonshire, who now supply local and national pubs, restaurants and shops with their cask and bottled beers.

You can’t get fresher than fruit that is grown just down the road. Hayles Fruit Farm, based in Toddington, supplies our stores with their home-grown apples, plums, pears and strawberries as well as apple juice and cider. The beauty of eating local fruit is the sheer variety that is on offer to the customer – we stock several different types of apples with weird and wonderful names.

Hillside Brewery is an exciting, family owned and run Gloucestershire brewery, built on traditional skills and values. We pride ourselves in producing high quality ales in small batches using traditional methods and the finest ingredients from around the world. Using methods which have been developed and mastered over a lifetime, we want to change people's perception of beer ...

These deliciously refreshing ciders and perries are made from fresh pressed apples and pears grown in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. No chemical sprays or fertilisers and no sugar before fermentation and no apple or pear juice concentrate. Just fruit, pure and simple.

Hook Norton real ales are made with four natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast and water. Although these ingredients are very simple, in the hands of a skilled brewer they come together to produce a symphony of colours, aromas and tastes that make quailty real ale and beers. Based in Brewery Lane in Hook Norton, this award-winning brewery has origins dating back to 1849.

Humblebee Refresher is refreshingly simple. Just three ingredients – pressed apple juice from the gardens and orchards of Gloucestershire, mixed with strawberry juice or raspberry juice, and a splash of water. Nothing else.  The result is a light, crisp, thirst-quenching drink - beautifully refreshing on a summer’s day.

Jess Vaughan and her 80 ladies are the creators of this delicious, natural milk. ‘Ladies’ is indeed the right word for her herd of organically reared cows who are treated like intimate friends. Jess knows every cow by name and the whole herd is descended from Jess’s Grampy’s original three cows from 1955 – Bluebell, Gypsy and Glow-worm!

For the fruitiest deserts and creamiest ice creams, all inspired by traditional recipes, look no further than this Ledbury-based producer. Fed up with the additive and technology-laden food of today, this innovative team looked back to the days of Mrs Beeton to see how the old school chefs were making desserts and ice creams.

Kit Bamford is an award-winning chef based in Worcestershire. His range of chutneys, pickles and dressings was created in partnership with a local farming family following a discussion in the local pub one day. The range includes the Gold award-winning runner bean chutney, using Worcestershire runner beans, which is divine with cold meats and cheese and gold award-winning pickled shallots.

Immerse yourself in a whole new world of pickles and preserves from the multi award-winning Kitchen Garden. Based in Stroud, Kitchen Garden was started in 1989 by Barbara Moinet when she cooked up her first batch of Blackberry and Apple jam from her Gloucestershire Kitchen. Today, the company still makes all their jams, chutneys and pickles in small batches in open pans.

The Knight Family have been growing and pressing cider apples at Crumpton Oaks, nestling in the foothills of the Malverns, for three generations. The award-winning ciders are made from 100% pure blended fruit which results in the refreshing taste that you will find in Malvern Gold and Malvern Oak ciders. No apple juice concentrate, artificial flavours or colourings are used in Knights ciders.

La Parisienne, based in Gloucestershire has been established for over 10 years and has made a name for itself producing high quality authentic French patisserie, La Parisienne also bakes bread for The Bread Company, available in-store. Traditional French products are made using the finest flour from France while other recipes use flour and ingredients sourced from the Cotswolds.

Once you’ve tasted top quality meat there’s no going back. The secret to good meat is in the breeding, says Martin Gilder of Martin's Meats in Toddington. On his farm you will find only traditional breeds of animals, such as Gloucester Old Spot Pigs. These breeds produce meat that is incredibly tender and more flavoursome than other breeds that have been cross-bred.

Established in 1999, North Cotswold Brewery produces award-winning craft ales for customers in the Cotswolds who like their beer the traditional way. Only the finest natural ingredients are used to make the four core beers, Windrush Ale, Cotswold Best, Shagweaver and Hung Drawn n Portered, and a changing range of seasonal beers keeps things fresh. Situated in the heart of the picturesque Cotswolds

This much-love bakery, located in Winchcombe’s North Street, was originally established by Ray North and his wife Anita. Ray came from a family of bakers in Gwent but decided to open his own bakery in the Cotswolds in 1967.  Today North’s is run by Dan Seagrove, who has been a baker at North’s for over 20 years, and his wife Roxanne.