WELCOME TO OUR SECOND FOOD TRAIL DIGEST A ROUND-UP OF SPECIAL EVENTS IN Glastonbury, Street, Godney, Baltonsborough & the Lower Brue Valley The Event Programme for The Somerset Food Trail Festival 2023 is now live on our website at www.somersetfoodtrail.org: More than a fortnight of specially curated farm-to-fork food events across the county, showcasing Somerset's best, most sustainable producers, farms, shops, chefs and eateries. This is the second in our series of area-by-area digests of what's on, to help you pick your way through a jam-packed programme. |
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QUEEN OF CUPS HOSTS TWO SOMERSET FEASTS Tues 18 July & Tues 25 July, 7.30pm Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant and freehouse in the heart of Glastonbury, led by Chef Ayesha Kalaji, serving modern Middle Eastern-inspired sharing plates featuring the best seasonal and local produce. They're hosting two feasts, in partnership with two leading local sustainable suppliers, Pilton Cider (Tues 18 July) and Cultjar (Tues 25 July). Booking essential. | | |
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| | EARTHFARE - TASTINGS 45 High St, Glastonbury Dates/times tbc – ask in store Eco-friendly grocery store in the heart of Glastonbury, specialising in local / organic/ ethical brands, fruit and vegetables, with a deli counter and range of baked goods made on the premises. They also sell everyday essentials including whole foods, superfoods and supplements. Tastings will be happening in store, during the Trail festival (14-30 July) featuring various Somerset suppliers. Why not pick up some goodies and head for the Abbey or Tor for a picnic? | | |
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| | GLASTONBURY MARKETS St Dunstans Carpark, Magdalene St Tuesdays 8-3pm There has been a market in Glastonbury since 1189, though you'll no longer find livestock here! Instead, there are vegetables, bread and cakes, cheese and coffee stalls, alongside crystals, ceramics, clothing and jewellery. Well worth a visit. Also on Tuesdays, there's an indoor 'Country Market' in the next door Town Hall, selling locally made pies, bread, cakes, preserves, jams, honey, plants, as well as vegetables, fruit, eggs, herbs, and sometimes fish. Tuesday's the day! | | |
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MIDDLEWICK FARM SHOP Wick, Glastonbury BA6 8JW Open Mon-Sun, 8.30am-4pm Special Tasting Events time/date tbc Popular farm shop and cafe on the Tor side of Glastonbury, with stunning views across the moor towards Wells. The shop sells a range of fresh local produce including meat, dairy and veg. Pick up some food to take home or enjoy coffee and cake on the patio before walking up the Tor. During Food Trail fortnight, they'll be hosting a local tasting event featuring produce from several of their regular, local, sustainable suppliers. | | |
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| | PADDINGTON FARM TOURS & VOLUNTEER DAYS – Free Farm tours: Mon 17 and Mon 24 July, 11am-12.30pm Volunteering: Weds, 9.30-1pm An organic farm at the foot of Glastonbury Tor, helping young people from deprived urban areas connect with food and farming. Join a farm tour to meet the animals, visit the orchards, find out about their organic fruit and veg enterprise and other work. Tours also include a chance to sample their famous apple juice. Visitors are also welcome to join their Wednesday volunteer mornings, which are open to all and run every week from 9.30am-1pm, followed by a tasty home-cooked lunch made with organic produce. Paddington Farm is also hosting The People's Picnic Party (see right). | | |
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| | THE PEOPLE'S PICNIC PARTY at Paddington Farm – Free event Sunday 30 July from 1-5pm A free, family-friendly celebration of local food and community held at organic Paddington Farm at the base of Glastonbury Tor. The venue will provide some basic (but delicious) picnic fare but invites guests to bring their own contributions to share as well. 'Expect music, games and laughter. Please bring a plate, cup and a fork, and perhaps a rug to sit on.' The event is organised by Feed Avalon, which strives to establish food resilience; Love Glastonbury, which tackles hunger by reducing food waste; and Fresh & Good, a collective of community cooks who celebrate food under the umbrella of Sustainable Wells. | | |
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Click the link below to see all events in and around Glastonbury in date order |
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WHILST YOU'RE IN GLASTONBURY... These independent food shops & eateries may not be hosting special events for the Trail, but their 'locavore' ethos means they're definitely worth a visit. |
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| | ST BENEDICT STREET CAFE The Old Police Court, Benedict St, Gl. Tues-Sat 9am-5pm Cafe serving organic coffee, breakfast, lunch and an abundance of baked goods and delicious locally produced, homemade food. | | |
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| | MY FINE DELI & CAFE 22 High Street, Glastonbury Mon 9-9pm, Tues/Wed 9-4pm Thu-Sun 9am-9pm A fine selection of cheeses and meats sourced from the local area, as well as vegan, vegetarian & gluten free choices. | | |
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STEPHENS BUTCHERS, 2 Market Place, Glastonbury Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 7am-4pm Traditional but contemporary butchers' shop in the heart of Glastonbury. 'Butchers by trade, and artisans at our craft, we provide free-range, grass-fed meat sourced from local farms, as well as cheese, home-made chutneys, home made pies, pasties and more.' | | |
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| | HEAPHY'S CAFE, High St, Glastonbury Mon-Sun inclusive, 9am-5pm Popular independent coffee shop and cafe in the centre of Glastonbury, aiming to source produce as locally as possible, including organic milk and veg. | | |
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| | THE OLD TANNERY, Red Brick Building, Glastonbury Sun & Mon 9.30am-5pm, Tue to Thu: 9.30am-11pm, Fri & Sat: 9.30am-1am Exceptional food in a relaxed restaurant/bar setting, with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal, creative dishes. They say: 'We pride ourselves on championing local producers and suppliers and aim to be as sustainable as we can.' | | |
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| | 100 MONKEYS CAFE, High Street Wed & Thu 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm Independent restaurant, cafe and bar serving a truly seasonal menu using local and organic produce and supporting an environmentally sustainable, local food economy. | | |
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| | GLASTONBURY BREWING CO. Park Corner Farm, BA6 8JY Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm A microbrewery creating unique and flavoursome real ales, craft beer and cider and intriguing local gins. | | |
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REGENERATIVE FARMING TAKES CENTRE STAGE Glastonbury and its hinterland are fast emerging as a centre for progressive, forward-looking, nature-friendly and community-focused ways of producing food... In March this year, Glastonbury Town Council combined with five local parishes and nature conservation bodies to announce plans to create a five-mile 'Avalon Agroecological Area' around the town – a project to encourage local farmers and amateur growers to embrace more nature- and climate-friendly practices. Only a few months before this, funding was secured (through the Town Deals Fund) to develop a 20-acre Regenerative Farming Centre at the north west edge of Glastonbury known as 'Bridie's Farm'. The aim of the centre is not just to expand local growing space, but to help people develop the skills they need to produce good quality food for themselves. The idea, in the longterm, is to help boost food security in the town, improving health outcomes, cutting 'food miles' and building climate change resilience for the local community. Read more here in an article first published in Somerset Life. Or watch this short film about the project made by Kevin Redpath, below. |
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AGROECOLOGY Agroecology (AE) is the name given to a range of farming techniques where the focus is not just on producing nutritious food, but on working 'with nature', in a way that restores and supports biodiversity. Unlike conventional agriculture, AE doesn't rely on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Phasing these out can greatly reduce farmers' input costs, whilst restoring health, life and natural fertility to exhausted soils. With its focus on building up organic matter in soil, a transition to agroecological farming generally results in a dramatic increase in the amount of carbon captured below ground, which makes it a powerful, low tech tool for tackling climate change. Organic, permaculture, biodynamic and regenerative farming are all broadly 'agroecological'. |
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| | DRAGON WILLOWS FARM, Godney Rd Sat 15 July, 11am-4pm – Free event Dragon Willows Farm is a traditional eight acre agroecological smallholding of meadows, veg beds, pigs, cow, chickens and geese on the moorlands beneath Glastonbury Tor, aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible. They'll be offering tractor rides around the farm, a sausage making demonstration, free BBQ and tea and homemade cakes (kindly provided by Glastonbury Country Markets). Seasonal fruit and veg, preserves, cordials, ham and bacon will be for sale. | | |
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| | THE SHEPPEY INN, Godney Mon-Sat 12-11pm, Sun 12-6pm "Awesome food, fantastic wines, a fine selection of local ales and ciders and great music." Set out on the beautiful wilds of the Somerset Levels, surrounded by peat moors, dairy farms and national wildlife reserves, this quirky gastropub attracts people from miles around - especially at the weekends when there's often live music and you can sit out on a terrace overlooking a stream. Make sure to book ahead if you want to eat. | | |
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THE DAIRY AT WESTHAY Mon-Fri 6am-8pm Self-serve contactless vending machine providing fresh, whole, gently pasteurised milk, produced by their prize-winning grass-fed dairy herd, in refillable glass bottles. "Add a shot of flavoured syrup to make milkshakes which kids love". They also sell cheese, butter and eggs. | | |
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| | STREET MARKET Thursdays 9am-3pm Street market is a weekly market selling fresh fish, fruit and vegetables and street food, along with arts and crafts. The market is runs from 9am to 3pm every Thursday, held along the main high street which they close off. | | |
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| | HECKS CIDER Farm & Cider Shop 9-11 Middle Leigh, Street, BA16 OLB Thursdays 9am-3pm The Hecks family have been making traditional farmhouse cider in Somerset for six generations, since 1841, and visiting their farmshop feels like stepping back into that history. They make their cider by blending juice from an astonishing range of apple varieties (names like 'Slack m' girdle' give an indication of potency) all grown locally in the farm's orchards. The cider is fermented in wooden barrels and sold draught from the wood. They also offer an apple pressing service in the autumn. | | |
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AVALON VINEYARD & FARM SHOP Home of Pennard Wines & Cider Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-6pm Drop in during opening hours for a free taste of wines, fruit wines, mead, liqueurs and cider, all produced without pesticides. The ‘scrumpy’ cider is in barrels and can be blended to suit your taste. You can do a self-guided tour for free with an AvalonVineyard Walk leaflet helping you to find your way around – available from the shop. | | |
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LETCHFORDS CIDER, Parbrook Open: July 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29 & 30, 11am-4pm True 'craft' cider, made in small batches using an antique twin-screw press, and no sulphites or pasteurisation. Open, on the days listed, for free tastings and an orchard walk and talk about their typical cider and bee-keeping year. Bring your own picnic to enjoy with a bottle of cider, or order an Orchardman's lunch in advance (£7) by emailing lisaletchford@me.com. If you can't make these opening times and would like to visit, call Lisa to arrange an alternative time. NB: Closed for the first weekend of the Food Trail. | | |
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WILD ROOTS GROWING FOR WELLBEING PROJECT Sundays 16 & 30 July, 1-4pm ''We are opening our doors to show people what goes on at the Wild Roots Field during our weekly Growing for Wellbeing sessions. Wander around the site, see what's growing in our polytunnel and outdoor beds, take time to sit in our healing flower garden and enjoy the wildflower meadow area. Light refreshments available.' | | |
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Baltonsborough & Barton St David |
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PLOTGATE COMMUNITY FARM, Barton St David, TA11 6DF 25 July, 4pm on The UK's largest hand-cultivated Community Supported Agriculture organisation and one of the five pivotal farms involved in the 5FF project (see below). Tour the gardens and poly tunnels, see how they grow veg for over a hundred weekly mixed boxes; find out about volunteering in return for food; meet the growers, Shetland sheep, chickens and pigs. They're hosting a 'local feast' featuring garden produce topped pizzas from the wood fired oven, plus their own apple juice. There'll also be a licenced cider bar. | | |
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BALTONSBOROUGH FOOD FAYRE Sunday 16 July, 11am-5pm. Half festival, half fete, with food at its heart, you'll be able to grab yourself something to eat from one of 20 or more stalls representing food and drink producers from all over Somerset, and enjoy it at long communal feasting tables in a marquee. There'll be live music, with plenty of children's activities. Free entry | | |
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PLEASE NOTE: This is by no means a comprehensive list of events or sustainable food outlets for this area. There are simply too many to list here. Later newsletters will cover different areas, free and family-friendly events, vineyards, cheese, cider, farm-tours, and a day-by-day schedule of events, which can also now be found through searches on our website. |
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WIN LUNCH FOR TWO AT THE PIG-NEAR BATH Head over to our social media for some amazing competition giveaways from our new partner, The Pig-near Bath, a restaurant with rooms, which shares our 'local first' philosophy: committed to sourcing 80% of its ingredients from within 25 miles of the hotel. |
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Further afield...Wells, Wookey & Wedmore A few other festival highlights nearby |
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| | PERCH HILL VINEYARD, Nr Wells Saturday 29 July 4.30-9pm Mobile artisan pizza outfit Fed by Fed & Ben will be at Perch Hill for an evening of summer wine tasting and fresh pizza – using the best local ingredients and, of course, wines from Perch Hill Vineyard. | | |
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| | WOOKEY FARM & FARMSHOP: Feast Saturday 15 July, 12noon-2pm Lunchtime buffet-style feast featuring produce made on the farm. 'See our happy animals, find out how we make cheese from goats milk and ask about our regenerative approach to farming.' | | |
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| | TOUR OF BISHOPS PALACE COMMUNITY GARDENS, Wells Mon 17th 3pm or Thu 20 July 10.30am Tour of the Community Garden lead by Bishop's Palace Gardener Jo. Free if you already have a ticket into the Bishop's Palace or for Bishop's Palace members. | | |
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| | THE GOOD EARTH FOOD TRAIL SPECIAL MENU, Priory Road, Wells Open Mon-Sat 9-4.30pm, lunch from 12 A feast of vibrant seasonal summer salads, soup, quiche, pizza and two main dishes every day featuring the best, local, sustainably produced ingredients. | | |
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BIOAQUA AQUAPONIC FARM TOURS & LUNCH, Blackford (near Wedmore) Sat 15 & Sun 16 July, 11am, 12pm, 1pm Leading aquaponic food expert Antonio Paladino hosts tours of his aquaponic farm producing organically fed rainbow trout and vegetables 'in the most simple, ethical way'. Tours include a gourmet lunch with ingredients fresh from the farm. Booking essential. | | |
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This really is just a 'taster' of what's available on the website at www.somersetfoodtrail.org. We'll be back soon with more festival news from different parts of Somerset. Until then, Keep it Local! The Somerset Food Trail Team X |
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For a regular deep dive into Somerset's sustainable food news, local intel and insights, try The Wallfish Journal, a weekly reader-supported newsletter by Frome based journalist Hugh Thomas. | | |
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The Somerset Food Trail is organised by Sustainable Food Somerset. If you would like to support our work promoting local, sustainable food and more nature-friendly ways of farming, please get in contact via the link below: |
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With thanks to our sponsors: |
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