I was delighted to have the support of Genuine Jersey for my upcoming Eat Local Food Challenge which is running for a week on 13th – 19th August. Eating and drinking only local produce for one week isn’t as hard as you may think thanks to an abundance of skilled local producers. I’ve explored how Genuine Jersey produce could make this challenge a breeze for you all, and how it may change your mind towards buying more local.
So you may be thinking, how can I see if it's local? Easy, look for the Genuine Jersey mark, or get your glasses out and read the packet! We already have a well-run local product association called Genuine Jersey, that consists of members that produce, sell, make, bake all local produce, so finding out what’s local for the week challenge ahead, isn't going to be a problem. Many parish farm shops, and supermarkets like Co-op, have a wide range of local produce, and most have the genuine Jersey stamp, so are easily identifiable.
One of the local ingredients you perhaps wouldn't think you can get here is sea salt. Salt being of course a key component to most recipes, and a great asset to our health, even more so now its local! The sea that surrounds us is extremely fertile with so much life and nutrients, but most people only go so far as a dip in St. Brelade when the suns out or eating some fish from the harbour. There’s so much more nutrition and exciting goodness we can work with from our seas, which is just what Jersey Sea Salt have done, utilising our local resources of health and sustainability for all of us.
When I did the Local Food Challenge back in March, I found some of the farm shops to be my favourite places to shop. I was asking them what was from here and what wasn't, and what undoubtedly made that process easier was hunting out the recognisable red Genuine Jersey logo. It almost turned into a treasure hunt trying to find it! From these products alone I was able to put together some delicious dinners, especially exciting when you see a whole range of chutneys and sauces you know is all locally made.
Another one of my favourite Genuine Jersey members is The Chilli Kitchen, founded by Lesley Garton. Using local seasonal ingredients to make everything from mild wild blackberry, apple jams to hot spicy sauces, there's a huge range to complement all meals. I love the lemon and chilli pickle which is a happy medium for me, although I know many who would love to try the very hot relishes.
There are over 150 Genuine Jersey members and the great majority of them are producing, making, growing, rearing, and catching Jersey food, all for the benefit of the Island and the humans on it. Not only do I love eating food from my home, but I love how there’s already a caring community on Island, working hard to lower Co2 emissions by encouraging more to buy local and working towards a sustainable future.
Here’s a short list of my go-to shops for Genuine Jersey produce:
- Classic Herd farm shop- St.Peter
- Midland Stores - St.Saviour
- The Fresh Fish Company - Victoria pier (St. Helier)
- Co-op
- Cookes Rose Farm - St.Lawrence
- Holme Grown - Grouville
- Field Farm - St. Lawrence
Find out more about the challenge at www.jerseylocalfoodchallenge.weebly.com
