Win a copy of the amazing Nibble Gobble Munch book

Here is a book that will help youngsters learn new and good habits and get enthused about food. Especially good local food, growing, cooking and eating!

This book describes itself as a ‘pop-up feast’ and it’s a claim it lives up to. Do you know the role of fibre in your diet? How cells divide? What are the food groups? What do each of the vitamins do? All the answers and more are to be found in this book in a fun and interactive way.

The French are already using the book in schools so it must be good!

To win a copy email the answer to the question below and 5 correct entries will be randomly selected to each receive a copy of the book.

Question: In how many countries has the book been published?

For more information, buy for your school, and to find the answer click here

To enter email info@bigbarn.co.uk

More food scares coming to a supermarket near you!

Cheap, and nasty?

Thank you Tracy from Pigbusiness for mentioning BigBarn on last night’s Channel4 News. The horse meat scare has not gone away yet and is a classic example of how corporates and a very long supply chain are not good for us.

Findus was bought by a private equity company from Nestle in 2000 with the objective to make profit. Either by avoiding tax or by cutting cost. Managers all along the supply chain for frozen lasagna, were instructed to cut cost and, I would guess, special checking procedures were also cut. So scares like horse meat were bound to happen.

The BigBarn local food map

And many predict, will continue to happen as other ingredients are tampered with, or in time, changed to reduce cost. A number of experts, for instance, are very worried about the quantities of anti-caking agents used in the manufacture of ready meals. These contain nasties such as sodium aluminosilicate that, some say, cause dementia.

The fantastic news is that there is a better way, and not expensive. COOK local ingredients. You can ask the producer questions about how the food you buy has been produced and know that because his local reputation is at stake, he will tell the truth.

Fiona at the Loch Arthur Farm Shop

Your local food will not have the cost of; a very long supply chain where every participant has taken a margin, haulage costs, marketing, fat cat salaries, packaging and Tesco markup.

I would expect most people will be a able to make a lasagne using local minced beef for not much more that the Findus product. Or cheaper if lentils are added to the meat sauce mix!

All we need to do, as a nation, is change our attitude to buying food, and cooking. Enjoy getting the story of your food from your butcher or local producer. And cooking is not a drudge. Let’s all get in the kitchen to create and celebrate!

Win a Box of Assorted Pipers Crisps

Our friends at Pipers Crisps sponsor our monthly competition with a box of 40 X 40g packs of assorted crisps.

Pipers make great tasting, award winning potato crisps. Since 2007 all of their flavours have won Great Taste Awards. They source their flavours from named passionate producers who are nearly all on the BigBarn map. You will find each producer’s story on the back of each pack. Pipers are not in the major supermarkets. You will however, find them in over 1400 of the best outlets throughout the country.

Pipers are proper crisps, made from sliced potato then immediately fried in sunflower oil. The more common brands dry the potato slices first so that less power is required in the fry process. They have also only just stopped using palm oil, cheap and full of saturated fat, due to competitive pressure from brands like Pipers.

To win a box you can;
1. Simply look at your local food map on BigBarn and email ant@bigbarn.co.uk with details of anyone not on the map who you think should be. Or,
2. Do a two minute video of your favourite local producer or shop, add it to You Tube, and email ant@bigbarn.co.uk the link. To see an example of a video click here..

You will then be in a prize draw to be selected at the end of every month.