Shopping locally and sustainably has been made a whole lot easier by the folk at NeighbourFood, Nottingham’s click and collect online shopping platform…
The premise is simple: order your weekly shop using the online store from Friday to Tuesday, wait patiently as your order is harvested, baked, bottled and roasted on Wednesday, get down to Primary Studios from 6pm to 7.30pm on Thursday and collect your order from the local farmer’s stall. Simple.
“This method of shopping ensures there’s absolutely no waste,” says Shona Munro, local host of the nationwide enterprise NeighbourFood. Along with co-host Bex Derry, the pair oversee the running of the Nottingham branch. “Producers set their own costs and receive 80% of the revenue, which is more than double the amount they’d receive if they were wholesaling to a supermarket retailer.”
Sustain – the alliance for better food and farming – define sustainable food as produce that’s been produced and distributed in a way that contributes to a thriving local economy, and also takes the protection of plants, animals, natural resources and social benefits into account. NeighbourFood currently work with nineteen local food producers, with all produce coming from within a forty-mile radius. Each business goes through a strict evaluation to ensure they meet the highest standards, so you’re sure to be receiving top-quality grub.
There’s over 350 products to choose from, including veggies from F Jackson and Son and meat from Manor Organic Farm. Another big focus of NeighbourFood is reusable packaging, with many producers serving up the goods in glass jars, cotton veg bags and tupperware that can all be returned and reused.
“It’s really important for customers to have the opportunity to shake the hand that feeds them,” says Bex. “We believe in transparency of practice, and in giving customers the opportunity to ask questions with a view to being more connected to what they buy, and to form a relationship with our food producers.”
Primary Studios, Seely Road, NG7 3FZ. 0115 924 4493
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