Join us for this free celebration with delicious locally produced food and drink, live music, talks, cooking demo’s and arts and crafts about all things local food.

The festival exists to celebrate the delicious and diverse range of food produced locally, to help signpost how to access local food year around with farmers’ market and community project stalls, a mouthwatering range of hot food options, heaps of arts and craft activities for kids and kids at heart.

We’ll also be hosting another packed programme of live music and talks in the ‘Pluckers, Buskers and Speakers Corner’.

The festival is nestled in the picturesque Vire Island and runs from 11-4pm Saturday, 22^nd September, and this year we’re excited to be hosting a very special Mad Hatters Tea Party as part of the day’s festivities. Drink tea, sample delicious food and learn more about where it comes from and why we love it!

Held at the same time and in the same town as its austere 82 year old tech focussed ‘Big Ag’ counterpart the Oxford Farming Conference, the ORFC this year was double the its size with over 900 attendees and welcomed Rt Honourable Michael Gove as the first Secretary of State for the environment to speak at the conference.

An indication of its reach and influence, Rt Hon. Mr Gove spoke about the imperative to build the health of our soil as key to the future of British farming, and reforming subsidies to abolish Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pillar 1 payments tied to units of land.

While these messages were welcomed by the audience, it is important to recognise that right now we have a short window to shout loudly and demand appropriate and fair reform of agricultural subsidies. Future subsidies should recognise and support true ecological land stewardship and acknowledge the thousands of small farms who currently receive no support from the CAP subsidies.

Over the last 10 years, poor policy has directly led the the loss of over 35,000 farms in this country. The majority of farmers earn less than £10,000 a year, there are very little support for new entrants and even less for those farming on less than 5 hectares and despite having the 6th largest economy globally over 8 millions people in the UK have insufficient food.

In Spring 2018 the government will outline our new farming policy in the new Post-Brexit Agricultural policy, which will shape the future of food production in this country, and we must make the need and importance of ecological farming recognised and supported centre stage.

The Landworkers Alliance (LWA), the grassroots union that campaigns tirelessly for support for small scale ecological farming, are currently crowdfunding for their Campaign ‘’. The LWA will lobby parliament for a future food and farming policy that sees farmers and communities at the heart of decision making and where everyone has access to healthy and regionally produced affordable food.

It’s essential make sure that these vital issues are part of our post Brexit future food and farming policy. Take a look at the campaign and please consider supporting them on this important mission.

If you want to find out more about the ORFC, check out the session recordings here.

Have you ever felt the urge to help support the local food economy but not sure where to start?

Our Food map includes more than 80 listings of places that sell locally produced and ethical food, offers you a variety of outlets to pick from and you can search according to the type of food you want. Check out the map here:

Greenlife is one example of these shops. Greenlife opened in July 1990, set-up to encourage more ‘green’ shopping: local food, recycled paper, fair trade items, and so forth.

Located in the heart of Totnes right on the market square, Greenlife offers a wide range of locally sourced and organic foods especially local grown fruit and vegetables which is perfect if you are planning your Christmas meals.

Another great source of local produce for your festive fayre is the box scheme at Huxham’s Cross Farm, where you can buy organic fruit and veg boxes, drinks, dairy products and more. Greenlife is open late this Tuesday for the last Totnes Christmas market of the year, where you’ll also find a plethora of locally produced edible goodies.

And if you’re looking for grass fed ethical meat and poultry check out Tigley Tump small holding just outside Totnes for a range super local and ethical options. You can find the details here.

Happy shopping!

If that feels super challenging, this Local #FestiveFoodseries is here to help with ways to source and get creative with your festive food.

First up is Grown in Totnes (GiT). Grown in Totnes is a project working with local farmers to produce, process and sell grains and pulses. They hand process at their GiT unit on Totnes industrial estate, and are launching their white and wholemeal flour, grown at Huxhams Cross Farm just up the road.

Check out their stall at the Totnes Christmas Market over the next two Tuesdays. You’ll find them outside Ben’s Wine & Tapas restaurant under the Butter-walk selling local wheat flours, rolled oats and super scrummy Parkin.

You’ll also find their wheat flours launching at The Kitchen Table, Greenlife and the Dartington Food Shop over the next few days.

As an alternative Christmas pud, why not make an oaty spiced crumble, and visit the Grown in Totnes stall for their legendary Parkin recipe.