Good afternoon,

Just as I sat down to write this newsletter, another email landed in my inbox from one of our suppliers to notify me of their price rise. This one was from a food wholesaler, but recently we have also had cider keg rentals, pallet shifting, tap-room benches, egg boxes, cider cans and fresh apple juice. And that’s not mentioning the £1.20/L diesel Dad filled up with today, or the doubled price of chicken feed and tripled price of fertiliser.

Luckily, we don’t plough so don’t use as much diesel as some, our hens eat a lot of grass so we don’t feed them as many pellets as others and we’re weening our soils off artificial fertiliser so don’t need nearly as much as most. But the price hikes are being felt and our humble margins are being squeezed.

We’re hoping not to charge more to our own customers but farmers need support now more than ever.

Farmers who are trying to do right by their land, animals and communities. Farmers who work 15 hour days without taking much wage, or enough weekends off. Farmers who employ local people (sometimes even their daughters), and support local abattoirs, butchers & other growers. Farmers who are trying to improve the biodiversity on their land, who resist taking short cuts because they want to leave things better than they found them.

I know everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment but who we spend our money with determines which businesses will survive and who looks after our food system. So, let’s opt for a pint of the local beer at the pub, buy coffee from the independent cafe and where possible, source our fresh produce from farm shops.

It really does make all the difference.