Around 70 people came to The Studio at The Mowlem on Wednesday 14 October to talk about where our food comes from, and how more of it could come from closer to home. By the end of the evening, Swanage had a new local food group.
Thank you to everyone who came, to our speakers, and to Planet Purbeck, who ran the evening with us. Here's what we heard.
Dairy farmer near Wareham
Ian's family milks around 200 cows overlooking the Purbeck Ridge, producing about 3 million pints a year. His grandfather sold milk and potatoes locally from a horse and cart. Today his milk goes to a dairy co-operative. He believes Purbeck can still produce meat and milk in ways that work with the landscape.
“You make a series of food choices every day. You have a direct impact on the environment with every single one.”
Founder, The Salt Pig
James started The Salt Pig around 18 years ago, after seeing how much good Purbeck produce was leaving the area. By keeping farming, butchery and selling inside Purbeck, he can sell conservation-grazed beef for close to the price of premium supermarket meat.
“The more people that demand local food, the more people will supply it.”
Vice chair, Food For Thought Purbeck
Standing in for Debby Monkhouse, Chris described the two weekly pop-up larders at St Mark's School and Chapel Lane. Members pay a small weekly fee for surplus food worth several times as much. More than 35 volunteers run them, and anyone can join.
“What's been heartening tonight is the networking and the work which is happening.”
Help and Kindness, Feeding Dorset
Jon explained how the Feeding Dorset partnership is bringing farmers, growers, councils and community groups together. It is bidding to the National Lottery for a large, five to seven year project to make Dorset's food more local and resilient.
“Our goal is to join up projects and bring together the opportunity, the place, the space, the time, the people and the money.”
We also heard short talks from groups who grow, save and share food in and around Swanage.
Emergency food for people going through a hard time. It helped more than 500 households last year, thanks to local donations.
Surplus food from the Co-op, shared every Monday at Herston Village Hall. Take what you need, and give if you can.
A new growing space at The Salt Pig's farm, with experienced growers to help. Community pigs are due to join early next year.
A friendly garden off Prospect Crescent, open on Friday mornings and Tuesday lunchtimes. Seedlings to take home, and no experience needed.
You don't need an allotment. A raised bed, a fence, a school garden or the green space around a care home can all grow food. Fruit trees in gardens can share their apples too.
Edible Bridport shows what's possible. Since 2023 it has grown organic vegetables and herbs in beds and planters around the town, from the bus station to the path by the medical centre. Anything grown is free for anyone to pick. Volunteers look after the beds and meet each month to share plants, seeds and skills. It's an idea Swanage could borrow. Find out more at bridportfoodmatters.net.
In a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme, members pay a local grower up front for the year or season, and receive a regular share of the harvest. The payment gives the grower security, and members get fresh, seasonal produce and a direct link to where their food comes from. There are at least 100 across the UK, ranging from a few acres run by volunteers to larger farms with paid staff. At the food evening, Jon Sloper of Feeding Dorset called CSA “one of our most powerful transformation opportunities”.
Locally, The Salt Pig runs a community veg patch at its farm at Putlake, where local people garden together and share the produce. Greengage Community Garden volunteers also share what they grow. Find out more about the veg patch at thesaltpig.co.uk.
At the Friday market, people often ask what's truly local. One answer is Love Local Trust Local, a label set up by Barbara Cousins of Rawson Farm and Farm Shop Butchery in Cranborne Chase, north Dorset. It marks food grown, processed and meant to be eaten in Dorset. A speaker on the night said people like Barbara would help develop Dorset food labelling, and that labels work best alongside conversations that turn the link between producer and buyer into a relationship. Find out more at lovelocaltrustlocal.co.uk.
Purbeck has far more deer than the land can support. Ian Baggs explained that sika deer, introduced in the 18th and 19th centuries, have no natural predators and have bred rapidly, damaging woodland and the wider landscape. There is little market for their meat. Herds of 20 to 80 are now common on Purbeck's roads, and some charities pay for culls. Estimates shared on the night put the surplus at around 6,000 deer.
Eating local venison helps to manage the herds. It's lean and good value. Not sure? Ask your butcher for mince that's 70% beef and 30% venison.
Want to help? You don't need to be an expert or come to everything. Whether you grow, cook, volunteer or simply want to buy more local food, there's a place for you. Email hello@sustainableswanage.uk and we'll be in touch.