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Around a quarter of global carbon emissions are from agriculture, How can we choose food that is healthy, tasty and helps reduce emissions without exploiting those who produce it?
LOCAL FOOD SHOPS
Bitterne Park Stores (local fruit & veg, dairy and groceries, local alcohol, household products, refills, minimal packaging) 25 Manor Farm Rd. Also delivers via https://bitternebox.co.uk/
Gannaways Greengrocers (incl local fruit & veg) 419 Bitterne Road
Aldermoor Community Farm (shop open 9-5, Weds & Sats) Aldermoor Road
Riverford (home delivery, organic foods) https://www.riverford.co.uk/
Your local milkman can deliver milk (incl oat milk and organic milk) in reusable glass bottles. Also juices, groceries, baked goods and more:
Milk & More https://www.milkandmore.co.uk/ 0345 606 3606
Modern Milkman https://themodernmilkman.co.uk/
Gaia Health Store (organic, vegetarian, plastic-free packaging, refills) 22 Carlton Place, Southampton https://www.gaiahealthstore.co.uk/
Bakery Down the Lane (bakery run by Mencap) pop in on Thurs or order via https://www.southamptonmencap.org/enterprises
Communibakes (community bakery run by Communicare) Tue-Fri 8.30-2pm Sat 8-2 21 St James Rd https://communibakes.co.uk/
October Books (fairtrade and organic foodstuffs) 189 Portswood Road https://octoberbooks.org/
COMMUNITY PANTRIES
A community pantry or food club is a place where for a small membership fee you can get food at lower prices
Round About Community Café (Community Pantry and cafe) Westfield Corner, Swaythling
Southampton Social Aid Group 11.30-13.30 Mon – Woolston Trades & Labour Club, Leighton Road; Tue – Unity Brewing Co, Princes Street, Northam; Thu – Stephen’s Dance Centre, Oakley Road, Shirley.
Oasis Community Pantry Thu 9.30-13.00, Sholing Football Club, Mackoy Stadium, Portsmouth Rd
St Marys Church meeting place (community pay-what-you-can cafe and a social supermarket) Thu 10.00-13.00, Chapel Road
Art House pop-up pantry (various locations) https://thearthousesouthampton.org/community-pantry/
FOOD WASTE AND FREE FOOD
Swaythling Station Free Shop (free donated/supermarket surplus food. Includes a baby store) Sat am 10-12.30. Free bread often available when station office is open M-F 6.30-11am
Food Cycle Southampton (welcomes anyone to enjoy a free hot meat-free meal made from supermarket surplus food) 6pm Weds, Sholing Salvation Army, 93 North East Rd
Feed the Community Project (redistributes donated fruit & veg, Fridays 11-12.30) St Denys Church grounds, Dundee Road
Southampton Sunday Lunch project (a warm Sunday meal, to all those in need. Based on donations including surplus food from supermarkets) Sundays 10-1 St Marks Institute, Victoria Rd Woolston & St Denys Church Centre https://southamptonsundaylunch.org.uk/
COMMUNITY CAFES AND LOCAL FOOD
Kate’s Cafe Lounge (local and ethical food) 227 Portswood Rd
Cafe Thrive (vegan, fairtrade, some organic) 18 Hanover Buildings
Veg Out Community Pop Up Vegan Cafe Mons (except bank hols) 10-4 October Books, 189 Portswood Road https://www.facebook.com/popupvegan
Happy Bean Coffee Bar (ethically sourced coffee, local vegetarian baked goods etc) 66 Bedford place
Parklife Community Cafe (social enterprise cafe, open daily) St James Park, Shirley https://www.facebook.com/parklifecommunitycafe
Sunflower Cafe, Mayfield Garden Centre, Mayfield Park, Weston Ln
Eazy TZ Meals (meals made from surplus food, order Mon/Tue for collection/delivery Wed) https://sites.google.com/view/easytzmeals
Board in the City (board games, fresh local food, events, community support) 38-40 Onslow Rd https://www.boardinthecity.co.uk/
VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN (INDIAN) RESTAURANTS
Baboo Ji 273 Portswood Rd
Kesarum 25 High Street
Padharo100 East St
More links to veg/vegan eating out at https://solentveg.org.uk/
LOCALLY BREWED BEERS
Dancing Man Town Quay SO14 2AR (also restaurant)
Unity Brewing Co 23-27 Princes Street (includes tap room)
Butchers Hook 7 Manor Farm Road (real ale micro pub)
Ascapart at Mettricks 267-271 Portswood Road (craft brewery & coffee roastery)
EATING TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Eat leftovers: for recipes see lovefoodhatewaste.com
Eat less meat: plant based foods have a lower carbon footprint
Eat seasonally: out of season food is often shipped from the
other side of the world or grown in heated greenhouses here.
Choose fairtrade: fairtrade ensures producers get a fair deal
GROW YOUR OWN
Home grown food is fresher and often tastier than shop bought. Even a window box can be used for salad greens or a balcony for tomatoes. See our vegtopia in suburbia blog on veg growing in the front garden https://transitionsouthampton.org/
If you don’t have a garden, try an allotment – see https://www.southampton.gov.uk/people-places/parks-open-spaces/allotments
Southampton Allotment and Garden Association (SAGA) events and trading sheds where you can buy seeds and plants https://www.saga-info.org.uk/
Preserve your home grown produce by freezing or using using traditional methods such as bottling, jam or chutney making, drying or wine and cider making – plenty of advice online.
SEED SAVING
You can save your own veg seeds (except F1 hybrids, which wont breed true). Easy ones are tomatoes, peas, beans and lettuce. At the Southampton Seedswap each February you can swap seeds or buy them cheaply and get advice on how to save seeds https://www.facebook.com/southamptonseedswap
NEED TOOLS?
Southampton National Park City have started a garden tool library with kits available to borrow at Aldermoor Farm and Sholing Valleys study centre. https://www.facebook.com/SouthamptonNPC/posts/we-have-launched-a-garden-tool-library-with-thanks-to-southampton-city-council-c/707510601126598/
COMPOSTING
In addition to plant material you can compost cooked food, meat and dairy – in fact they compost very well – as long as you exclude rats.
Our rat-proof composting project offers compost collars which fit most ‘dalek’ type bins to keep rats out. Available at cost via https://transitionsouthampton.org/rat-proof-composting/ Avoid composting invasive weeds and diseased plants. Mix sappy material like grass mowings with tougher items like dry bedding plants or cardboard. You can add autumn leaves to a compost bin but if you have a lot, collect them separately in a leaf-mould bin.
When buying compost choose peat-free. Peat bogs help absorb carbon, and destroying them makes climate change worse.
SHARED GARDENING
If you don’t have a garden or allotment, or prefer gardening with others, join a community garden.
Aldermoor Community Farm Aldermoor Road, SO16 5NN https://aldermoorfarm.org.uk/ 023 8218 2716
Southampton City Farm Oasis Academy Lords Hill, Green Lane https://www.southamptoncityfarm.com/
Ropewalk Community Garden (walled garden of exotic and everyday trees, plants and shrubs) 53 Derby Road, Bevois, SO14 0DJ
Shirley Warren Community Garden 107-117 Warren Crescent,
Woolston Community Garden Woolston Comm Centre, Church Rd
St Denys Front gardens Plus https://www.facebook.com/FrontGardensPlus
Veracity Community Orchard Merryoak Rd
Our Bitterne Park Growing Places project aims to get Bitterne Park growing, though seed & plant swaps,
sharing knowledge, harvest festivals and more) https://www.facebook.com/groups/bitterneparkgrowingplaces
Our Polygon Growing Places project is similar, but with mushrooms.
If you’d like to set up a project in your own area, please contact us!
Pickwell Farm (pick your own fresh fruit and veg in season) Grange Rd, Netley https://www.facebook.com/PickwellFarm/ 023 8040 4616
Lend and Tend (matches people with gardens to people who want to garden) https://www.lendandtend.com/
GARDENING SERVICES
Mencap Gardening & Maintenance (MG&M) basic gardening and maintenance requirements by Mencap service users (Mon-Tue) https://www.southamptonmencap.org/enterprises
Primrose Cottage Gardening Co-operative Ltd (Southampton-based co-op offering gardening services) https://www.facebook.com/primrosecottagegarden
ADVICE AND SUPPLIES
Mayfield Garden Centre (plants at affordable prices, profits help people with mental health issues and learning disabilities working at the nursery) Mayfield Park, Weston Lane https://mayfieldgardencentre.org.uk/
Garden Organic (advice on organic gardening) https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/
Real Seed Catalogue (includes info on how to save seeds!) https://realseeds.co.uk/
Tamar Organics (organic veg seeds etc) https://tamarorganics.co.uk/
The Organic Gardening Catalogue (organic veg seeds etc) https://www.organiccatalogue.com/
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
Britain has lost a lot of biodiversity and gardens can be important habitats. Wild creatures love a garden that isn’t too tidy! Attract invertebrates with a log pile (or even a stick pile), a bug hotel or a range of nooks and crannies around the garden. A 13cmx13cm hole at the base of a fence lets hedgehogs move freely between gardens. Feed them with hedgehog food or cat/dog food, never with milk which they can’t digest. If you see a hedgehog in distress contact a local vet or Hamble Hedgehogs https://www.hamblehedgehogs.com/ 07874 833292
Native plants and shrubs are best for wildlife, but non-natives still have value. Single-flowered varieties are better than double-flowered. Aim for variety, with plants that bloom at different seasons for year round benefit.
Put in a pond if you can. Even a small one draws frogs – which return the favour by eating slugs! Make sure hedgehogs can climb out if they fall in.
Avoid fake lawns – they are made of plastic, offer nothing to wildlife, have a big carbon footprint and can make flooding worse. If you don’t want grass, consider a herb lawn instead.
Bees are among the best pollinators. Supporting wild bees with flowers and suitable habitats is better for the environment than keeping honeybees as these can out-compete our native bees when food is scarce – although if you want honey you won’t get it from wild bees!
Links to other sections:
INTRODUCTION << HOMES << WATER << STUFF << TRAVEL FOOD >> COMMUNITY