With hundreds of locally produced food and drink products available in its stores, Southern Co-op is celebrating this year’s British Food Fortnight.

Now in its 20th year, the campaign kicks off on Saturday [18 September] and encourages people to seek out British food and drink which will in turn have an impact on sustainability and the action on climate.

In Southern Co-op’s convenience stores, the three top selling product ranges in its Local Flavours range are from Briddlesford Farm on the Isle of Wight, COOK foods in Kent and Curry on Wheels in Hampshire.

Matt Elliott, Retail Buying & Services Manager at Southern Co-op who looks after its Local Flavours range, said: “There were some highs and lows in 2020 for our local producers but overall sales of our Local Flavours range remain strong thanks to continued customer support.

“Through our dedicated Local Flavours range, we celebrate local food and drink from around 200 regional suppliers.

“Now is the perfect time to focus on the future so let’s use this year’s British Food Fortnight to continue supporting these local businesses and also try some of the incredible tastes available.”

So far this year, more than 230,000 individual products from Briddlesford Farm have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores including cheese, milk and other dairy products.

A further 216,000 products have been sold from COOK which produces frozen ready meals, and 117,000 sandwiches, wraps and food to go products from Curry on Wheels Ltd.

With 200 Co-operative Food stores across the South of England, the independent co-operative’s Local Flavours range is available at most of its convenience stores.

To find the nearest store, visit stores.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/search.html. Or to find out more the Local Flavours range, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/food/local-flavours/.

Berkshire
In Berkshire, around 19,500 boxes of eggs from Stokes Farm have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

Sophie Findlay, from Stokes Farm, said: “We are a family business and have been producing free range eggs for over 30 years. During the pandemic, we were so grateful for the support we saw from our loyal customers and the wider community who continued to buy Stokes Farm eggs from local stores around Berkshire.

“It was noticeable that people were trying to make a conscious effort to shop locally, ethically and sustainably during this crisis. It was fantastic!”

Stokes Farm has also been donating eggs to local food banks and 45 dozen eggs every week to the NHS staff at The Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Sophie said: “Like many businesses, the aftermath of the pandemic can be felt now which is why we rely on the local community to continue to support local.

“For people who can’t get to a Southern Co-op store, we have continued our home delivery service which we set up during lockdown via www.stokesfarm.co.uk. We are pleased there seems to still be a demand for this service.”

Devon
In Devon, around 35,000 individual products supplied by BAKO Western have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores. These include pre-cooked pastries such as bacon & cheese savoury turnovers, chicken & ham slices, steak & ale pies, sausage rolls and cocktail pasties.

BAKO Western Ltd, which is also a co-operative, currently supplies the pies and pasties working with another local producer and they are then prepared by Southern Co-op at its in store bakery.

Jackie Tree, Marketing Manager at BAKO Western Ltd, said: “We are very proud to serve the businesses in the western region. A huge part of our success is working closely with local producers and suppliers in our area.

“We are pleased to supply ingredients and finished products throughout the western region. We call that a local co-operative success supporting the local economy and would encourage buy local awareness for all shoppers!”

Dorset
In Dorset, more than 95,000 individual products supplied by Wessex Country Gammon have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores including bacon and black pudding.

Richard Isaacs, MD, established the business in 1987 and feels that buying local is essential for building a community and growing smaller businesses. It allows people to understand you can purchase beautiful produce without impacting the environment, helping to reduce food miles and carbon footprint.

Louis Whiting, Sales & Customer Relationship Assistant at Wessex Country Gammons Ltd, said: “It has been a pleasure working alongside Southern Co-op to create a beautiful range of British produce, including lovely cooked and fresh meat products, the Wessex Country Gammons brand has become established in stores over the last four years.

“Built on a legacy of quality and tradition our products are renowned for their excellent flavours. We feel it’s important that we source from ethical & responsible British farms giving our customers a great quality product whilst insuring high standard of welfare are met.

“This is just a couple of reasons why we feel our products are so popular. Another reason being, our continued high standard of supply and support – no issue too small or challenge too big for the team at Wessex.”

Hampshire
In Hampshire, more than 115,000 individual products from Curry on Wheels have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

The company started working with Southern Co-op in September 2017 and has an extensive range of lunchtime products trading under the name QuickBite. The products are prepared on site daily with fresh fillings using local food suppliers wherever possible for the raw ingredients.

Harmeet Singh, who started the business with his wife nearly 20 years ago, said: “Given these unprecedented times, the importance of buying local and buying British, has never been so high.

“We feel blessed to be able to work with such an amazing team at Southern Co-op. The entire team has been so supportive and I can say, without a shadow of doubt, our business would not have survived the global pandemic without them.

“We would also like to thank our customers. Without your support over the years, we would not be in the position we are in today. We are forever grateful for this opportunity.”

Isle of Wight
On the Isle of Wight, more than 230,000 individual products from Briddlesford Lodge Farm have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores including milk, cheese and other dairy products.

Briddlesford Lodge Farm has an award winning Guernsey herd as well as an on site dairy processing building. It produces milk, cream, butter and cheese from their own cows, under the ‘Briddlesford’ brand, and fresh milk, cream and butter from other farms under the ‘Isle of Wight’ brand.

Paul Griffin, the fourth generation of the Griffin family to run the farm, explains there is a whole range of benefits when you buy and support local including reduced food miles and lower carbon footprint, enjoying the local countryside and preserving its natural beauty, freshness and provenance, safeguarding local jobs and supporting the rural economy.

Paul said: “Quality is of the utmost importance whether local or otherwise. Our dairy products, from Briddlesford, are all made right here on the farm, using the rich and creamy, golden milk from our beloved pedigree Guernsey cows. The flavour is unbeatable!

“Southern Co-op is a great partner in the promotion of local food, when it is not always easy for small, local producers to do this.”

Kent
In Kent, more than 215,000 ready meals from COOK have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

John Wordsworth, from COOK, said: “As a frozen food business, we are very fortunate at COOK to have avoided many of the issues that have hammered parts of the food industry in the COVID-era.

“We have always believed in the restorative power of a good meal. Through all the turmoil of the last 18 months, what really kept us going was the knowledge that our food was giving so many households a break from the routine and a proper meal, hand-prepared with care.”

COOK has donated around 250,000 meals (and counting) to care homes, NHS staff, food banks, and others in need of good food.

John said: “We are hugely grateful to our teams and to our retail partners like Southern Co-op for keeping the show on the road. Of course, we couldn’t have made anything without the ongoing support of the farmers and suppliers who have ensured the continued supply of great ingredients arriving at our kitchens.

“We love working with British farmers at COOK. While there are some huge challenges facing the UK food system, we are inspired to be partnered with so many people who share our commitment to animal welfare, soil health, reducing carbon emissions, and are working to create something sustainable, in every sense of the word.”

Somerset
In Somerset, more than 11,200 bottles of cider from Thatchers Cider have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

Martin Thatcher, fourth generation cider maker at Thatchers, said: “Harvest is a fantastic time of year to be celebrating British produce. At Thatchers it’s the season when all the hard work throughout the year caring for our orchards comes to fruition.

“Nothing beats the excitement of seeing the apples arrive at Myrtle Farm for pressing into our range of ciders. The bright red apples for our Thatchers Katy cider are always the first to arrive at the farm. We love working with Southern Co-op who recognise the importance of bringing the best quality local ciders to its stores.”

Surrey
In Surrey, more than 25,000 individual products from Popcorn Kitchen have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

Popcorn Kitchen is an artisan popcorn brand that started out in 2012 selling gourmet sweet & salt popcorn at local food festivals in Surrey.

The company is owned and run by Andy and Louise, who remain committed to its artisanal heritage as they look to bring its ‘Pure Popcorn Happiness’ to a wider audience.

Andy Valentine said: ‘We are so grateful to Southern Co-op for the support we’ve had as part of the Local Flavours programme and to the store colleagues, who have been so positive towards the Popcorn Kitchen range since the very beginning. We genuinely wouldn’t be where we are today without this incredible support.”

Sussex
In Sussex, around 28,000 individual chocolate products supplied by Montezuma’s have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

Dan Viviani, Senior National Account Manager at Montezuma’s, said: “We absolutely love being part of the Local Flavours range in Southern Co-op stores, and we’re proud to say that we have been since 2012. Across the Southern Co-op estate, you can try our wide range of amazingly tasty chocolate bars in 90g and a 25g snack-size, as well as our moreish giant buttons that you won’t be able to put down.

“We’re all about ‘doing business properly’ which means we always aim to buy cocoa from sources free from slavery and deforestation, and we do not and will never use palm oil in our products. Plus, we are immensely proud to say that 100% of our range is recyclable, biodegradable or compostable.

“All of our products are made by us in our factory by the sea in sunny West Sussex and being on the doorstep of Southern Co-op stores means we keep our carbon footprint low. Buying Montezuma’s in Southern Co-op stores means customers are supporting local people and local business! Happy British Food Fortnight everyone!”

Wiltshire
In Wiltshire, more than 63,000 individual products from Wilton Wholefoods have been sold in Southern Co-op’s stores.

Wilton Wholefoods is a family run wholefood company based just outside Salisbury. Owned and operated by brothers, Daniel and Solomon along with Solomon’s wife, Nicola, they specialise in sourcing, mixing, blending, and packing the best natural foods from all over the world.

Solomon Rimer said: “We’ve been working with our friends at Southern Co-op for over eight years as they develop their local Flavours range. It has always been a natural fit for us due to the commitment from Southern Co-op to support small local independent businesses and as such we take immense pride from the knowledge that we are trusted by them.

“Our sales success in Southern Co-op stores continues apace and we strongly believe this is down to not just our super tasty products, but also because their customers can readily buy from a trusted local supplier. Our easily recognisable and strong brands proudly display our heritage and locality and as such compliment the ethos of Local Flavours.”