Day 42. The Harrods of the Fens.

I had originally planned to buy some Kilner jars online but I'm not very patient and they were unlikely to arrive until February 19th (Day 50 of my blog). This gem of a store in Downham Market is like a Tardis and almost every time I go in, usually looking for something very specific, Reeds has it. Apparently referred to as 'The Harrods of the Fens' (not by anyone I know so perhaps a generational thing) the kitchen department did indeed have Kilner jars, in a variety of sizes and only 25p per jar more than a deal I had seen on eBay.

Buying local is satisfying for many reasons but it also provides instant gratification: 30 minutes after deciding to head to Reeds I was back home, purchase complete and coffee in hand. The jars now sit in my kitchen waiting to be filled and I'm certain that my baking will reap the benefits of flour, sugar and ground almonds being housed in such iconic containers.

I'm just a little embarrassed that I headed online first instead of into town. Lesson learned.

Day 11. Steak and chips.

Buying local at Sargeant's in Stowbridge

This is my local butcher's, if you can call 5 miles away local. My nearest supermarket is 3 miles away though so a trip to Sargeant's doesn't add much time onto the journey and it's always worth it. Here I get helpful advice on the cut of meat, everything is trimmed and prepared just the way I like it and the provenance of all of the meat is known. Today we did a 'big shop' here, stocking up our fridge and freezer with steak, chops, sausages, burgers and a sizeable piece of belly pork. The pork skin was scored to make it crackle better in the oven and included the initials BH: for Bea Honeybone of course. When we can, we buy from independents, and we're lucky because Downham Market has so many on offer. Better for us, better for the local economy and hopefully better for the animals. Tonight's Desperate Dan sized steak was, without question, worth the extra couple of miles and as it came from one of Jeff's own cattle, from farm to fork the food miles associated with it will still be considerably lower than most pieces of steak you'll find on the shelves at Tesco or Sainsbury's. With chips and peas it was the perfect supper to end a very long week.