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Image for blog - Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown Image for blog - Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown
Features // Blog

Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown

Publisher - Great British Food Awards
published by

Dani R

Jan 18, 2021
10 minutes to read

Written by Kayleigh Rattle

2020 presented all manner of unexpected changes, and 2021 has begun with similar uncertainty. But there are still a few things we can control – not least where we shop and what we buy. If this year’s lockdown has taught us anything, it’s that there’s a plethora of top quality food and drink to enjoy from independent, local and British businesses alike. Whether that encompasses a hamper from your local butcher, a delicious coffee subscription box posted directly to your door, or delectable hand-cooked fare to fill your freezer with, there’s no shortage of top-quality foodie treats to enjoy, or gift to those you love. Enjoy!

Find an online butcher

Image for blog - Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown

Buy local by ordering in a marvellous meatbox. The Dorset Meat Company is one example. Essentially an online butcher, founder Nick Somper works with 20 small, family-run farms in Dorset and Wiltshire to deliver everything from wild venison to free-range chicken thigh directly to your door.

Meanwhile, for a Sunday roast with a difference, how about serving your Yorkshire puds and roasted spuds alongside British-reared Wagyu beef? Norfolk’s Worstead Estate is the first in Norfolk to rear and sell premium Wagyu beef. Check out its online shop for a range of boxes offering roasting joints, ribeye steaks and more.

Meanwhile, Dukeshill is a Shropshire-based company that was founded over thirty years ago, with a vision of producing the very best hams, cured the ‘old fashioned’ way, where flavour and texture are more important than speed or yield. Today the team sells everything from bacon, sausages and charcuterie to artisan cheese, bakes and stunning hampers. They were also named Online Retailer of the Year in this year’s Farm Shop & Deli Awards, high praise indeed!

Visit your local farmshop

Lockdown has altered consumer habits, particularly when it comes to food, in an unprecedented manner. And while many supermarket shelves lay barren, farm shops have been providing essential supplies such as milk, eggs and flour – attracting new customers in their droves.

A recent poll revealed 79% of farm retailers introduced a click and collect service – from collection points to contactless drive-thru – during the height of the pandemic, while a further 67% stated they had introduced home deliveries.

At Thorneybank Farm Shop in Inverurie, innovation has been taken one step further, with ambient and refrigerated vending machines dispensing everything from meat to dairy and more. “The self-service vending concept has really come into its own in the last 6-7 months,” says Neil Stephen of Thorneybank Farm Shop. “The fact people can come and go with minimal contact in a clean and safe environment has made us busier than ever.”

Head to www.farmretail.co.uk to support your nearest farm shop, or see www.farmstofeedus.org to connect with local suppliers.

Bring the pub to you

Image for blog - Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown

If you can’t get to the pub, bring the pub to you – that’s the motto, isn’t it? Whether you’re lucky enough to have a home bar and log burner raring to go or simply planning on stocking up on some bottles and cans to see you through the colder months, Walthomstow brewery Signature Brew – known for its band collaboration beers – has done all of the hard work for you and devised a ‘Pub in a Box’ so you can have a good-ole knees-up from the comfort of your own sofa.

The pub in a box concept initially launched during lockdown, with boxes being delivered by out-of-work musicians across London as a way of supporting the sector. Boxes range from £25 to £60 and you’ll receive a selection of award-winning craft beers, glassware, snacks and even a Christmas music quiz.

Berkshire-based Indie brewery Siren Craft Brew is also offering the chance to recreate the much-loved pub experience at home, with beer, beer glasses, bar runner, mats and snacks all available by next day delivery.

Unleash your inner barista with speciality coffee deliveries

Image for blog - Keep up the Community Spirit during Lockdown

The sound of a coffee machine firing up; the enticing aroma of a fresh coffee being brewed – it’s no wonder Brits reportedly spent £2.2bn during lockdown on recreating the coffee shop experience at home.

“We’re more in love with coffee than ever, with millions investing in recreating their caffeine fix at home. Coupled with working longer hours from home, it seems we’ve never been more reliant on coffee,” says Emma Loisel, co-founder of independent South London coffee roasters, Volcano Coffee Works, who offer coffee subscriptions delivered directly to your door.

If you’d like to unleash your inner barista, or master the skill of delicate latte art, the Artisan Coffee School is also hosting a number of online courses to boost your skills.

Take it easy with a frozen meal delivery

Sales of frozen meals reportedly rose 20% between the months of March and June 2020, with no sign of this trend slowing down – and frozen foods have come on leaps and bounds since their heyday in the 1950s and 1960s (thankfully!).

With it being such an unpredictable year, having a freezer stocked with hand-made, plant-based meals which are delivered directly to your door – think warming dishes such as smoky chilli or three mushroom risotto – could be just the thing to warm the cockles this winter. All Plants meals are created by nutritionists and award-winning chefs, while Cook Food offers a great range of meat and plant-based dishes.

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