Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 64

life

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

Where does our food actually
originate from?
At this time of year food inevitably
occupies our minds more than usual.

plates.
When dairy farmer Paul Griffin of

delicious salads and pâtés. We used
milk, cream and butter from our own

Whether we’re buying it, preparing it,

Briddlesford Lodge Farm married Chris

Guernsey cows. The pigs were ordered

cooking it or just eating it, most of us

Hoyal last year, the couple decided to

in the spring. They were born and bred

are going to get involved with the great

show their friends that Islanders can

here on the Island at Branstone Farm, and

tradition of Christmas fare.

produce all their our own food and drink

the pâtés were made from our own calf’s

- and it is second to none.

liver. All the wine was from Island grapes

This is also a time when perhaps we
should reflect that the countryside

Everything eaten and drunk by the

and made at local vineyards.”

provides more than just an attractive

160 guests had been grown, produced

backdrop to the festivities – it also puts

or made on the Island. Most of it was

not be everyday fodder, and Paul and

the food on our table. But is it the Isle of

bought from the farm shop, which is run

Chris are inevitably closer to the source

Wight, or even the British, countryside

by Paul’s sister, Louise.

of supply than most of us, but everything

which is putting the food on your table?

“It was a triumph,” said Paul, ‘My family

The meal for a wedding reception might

which their guests enjoyed that day is

Of that we can be less sure. We have

threw themselves into the 'project'. Dad

become so accustomed to importing

Richard, cooked the beef (from Andrew

food that many of us don’t give a second

Hodgson at Shorwell), my sisters and

can all direct more of our grocery budget

thought to the origin of what is on our

relatives used their skills to produce

towards local businesses – businesses

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available to all Islanders.
The point is that, with a bit of effort, we