February / March 2021
Thank you for all your support for Stroudco and what we do. We have plenty of updates on our services, tasty recipes, a little news from some of our Stroud suppliers, and the low down on our range of produce catering for your dietary needs.
Firstly a big well done for the donations you raised this January for the Food Bank and Long Table. Your contributions go a long way to help make a difference in securing more food products for our local Stroud Food Bank and ready meals for our local Freezer of Love networks.
We would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in our recent survey in regards to our range. We are currently going through your responses and will summarise the results in due course.
Remember: Our online shopfront is open 8am Friday to 8am Wednesday each week, with collections available between 12:15pm and 1:15pm every Friday or we deliver to you Friday afternoons.
If you need additional help or have any queries with making your order then please email manager@stroudco.org.uk and we will do all that we can to help you.
Catering For You
Promoting sustainability is a big part of our ethical values and we are well aware of the pressing need to reduce single use-plastic for the future of our planet. We already encourage our suppliers to consider their packaging materials, do what we can to minimize waste, and welcome you returning your empty Overton Farm egg boxes and the card wrappers from any of our Magpie and Jay Cards for the suppliers to re-use.
With plant-based alternatives, shopping local, and eating in season linked to improved health and shown to have a positive impact on the environment we are pleased to be introducing a growing range of local produce on our shop specifically catering for dietary and health needs, or for those making lifestyle and/or cultural choices.
Our range of local vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free already includes:
- A delicious range of gluten-free and nut-free baked goods from our local producer Melissamo, based near Woodchester, with several also vegan friendly.
- Vegan Indian meals and sides from Girish and Sons and Vegetarian frozen meals made by Woodruffs Café.
- Gluten-free Viking bread from The Welsh Cake Lady, brownies baked by Maryanne, and plain flour for homebaking
- A whole range of nuts, beans, seeds, fruits, grains, and pulses, plastic-free from Loose
- Ethically sourced dairy-free milk alternatives and vegan chocolate, cacao, and cocoa.
We are also adding to the current range of ready-made meals on our shopfront. Not only are the meals we stock delicious and time saving they are all also handmade locally with a focus on healthy and nutritious ingredients. With another exciting new Stroud based producer coming soon watch this space!
Inspired By You
We love hearing from you and are delighted to have recently receive a lovely little Stroudco acrostic (see below) from one of our Stroudco volunteers who was inspired to celebrate the various aspects of what we do with a little Stroudco word association.
If you fancy creating your own community inspired creations please do share them with us and we will pop them in our future newsletters, social media posts & reels, and on our website. Alternatively tag us in your posts so we can see what you have gotten up to.
Supplier Updates
Nell’s Patch (formally known as Rosie and Nell’s Veg)
Updates from our local farmer Nell with her Stroud grown salad and veg.
“Last year I was selling through StroudCo as ‘Rosie and Nell’s Veg’. Rosie and I had about two thirds of an acre under cultivation and we grew quite a variety of chemical free produce. This year, Rosie has decided to leave the business, so I have renamed as ‘Nells Patch’. I am leasing my land from Stroud Community Agriculture, who rent an acre at Oakbrook Community Farm.
For the next couple of months I’ll be selling the last of the winter veg: Leeks, Kale, Spinach, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Stir Fry and Salad Mixes. As we head into the Spring and Summer I am downsizing my plot quite substantially. This is to make it more manageable as I will be working alone. As a result, I will only be growing my Salad Mix and some seasonal herbs, in order to have a more streamlined and efficient business.
I have started sowing a mix of vegetables and flowers to sell as seedlings in the Spring, so keep an eye out if you’re planning on growing your own this Summer! Don’t hesitate to contact me about any vegetable growing queries you may have.”
You can follow Nell’s story on her social media pages – Facebook @Nellspatch and Instagram @nells_patch
A Note From Stroud Micro Dairy
A Message From Magpie & Jay
“I always wanted to design and produce greetings cards, but was deterred by what I perceived as the cost and complexity of the production side. Then I realised it is perfectly OK to start small – and even stay small if you want to. I design all my own cards and get them printed in Gloucester. We only print short runs – so far no more than 20 of each card – on sustainable card stock.
I literally run a cottage industry (from the upstairs room of my cottage in Rodborough). Being very keen to ensure my business has as low an impact as possible, I have managed to source recycled envelopes and biodegradable film wrappers. I am also glad to receive wrappers back for re-use (plastic ones actually work better for this). It is all an exciting learning curve, and every card you buy helps me make this financially viable so that I can take steps towards my next set of designs.
Thank you to everyone who has supported my business – or might do so in the future!”
Loose
The Raw Chocolate Company have kindly given free chocolate covered mulberry chips (affectionately known as ‘Fairy Poo’) to Loose who are selling them in store with all proceeds donated to the local womens’ refuge. Customers have already ‘donated’ £200 to date and there are plenty more in store. We are also looking into adding them to our Stroudco shopfront (but please note this is not yet guaranteed).
A Message From Woodruffs Café
A Note From Hawkwood’s Gardener
“Hawkwood garden is a small walled garden connected with Hawkwood College. It has for years been supplying herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruit to the college kitchen. This produce is now being offered through Stroudco. The garden has always been organic and biodynamic. The biodynamic preparations are not only used in the garden many of them are also made here.
There is an orchard with a wide variety of apples which give a supply from August through to March. There are also some pears and we have red and black currants. Herbs and flowers are grown and a small range of vegetables.
We are currently at the end of the produce season and still have apples available. Soon we will have fresh herbs and salads again and more diverse bunches of flowers”.
Kim Flannery
A message from our local supplier of handmade non-surgical masks.
The Long Table
With their new Potting Shed open at their Brimscombe site, The Long Table have a fantastic grow your own project to get involved with!
Eco Efforts
Promoting sustainability is a big part of our ethical values and we are well aware of the pressing need to reduce single use-plastic for the future of our planet. Encouraging our suppliers to consider their packaging materials we do what we can to minimize waste and remain plastic-free whenever possible.
So alongside you returning our Stroudco boxes, cool bags, and ice packs don’t forget that we also welcome your empty Overton Farm Egg Boxes and the wrappers from any of our Magpie and Jay Cards for the suppliers to re-use.
Plus don’t forget to return any empty (and cleaned) 700ml Bio D Washing-Up Liquid bottles we are currently collecting them to be able to test out our ability to offer a re-fills option in the future.
Please check out our social media pages for updates. We love hearing from you on social media so please tag us in your comments, tweets, posts, pics, & shares, including #stroudco to help spread the word of what we do.
We also welcome any feedback you may like to share and hope you will continue to shop with us in future weeks! A final BIG Thank You from all of us on the Stroudco Team for being such a vital part of our community and supporting what we do.
For help with a particular issue or query please email manager@stroudco.co.uk
More updates to come in our next newsletter so get following our social media and subscribing to our newsletters by entering your email in the subscribe box on our website contact page to be added to our mailing list today.
