Christmas is a time for coming together – around the table, in our communities, and around the places we call home. It’s also a time to celebrate the incredible independent businesses, local producers and artisans who work tirelessly to help make the festive season special.
This Christmas, Ella, a local resident in the Dales, has set out to shop as locally as possible and celebrate the incredible producers on her doorstep.
Ella explained: With a little help from my mum and her partner Richard, we set ourselves the aim of putting on a Big Yorkshire Dales Christmas. The plan? To use local suppliers and independent businesses as much as we can over the festive season – from the iconic Christmas tree to the ingredients for a proper turkey roast with all the trimmings. At every step we are thinking about how we can shop local. From local butchers providing top-quality, free-range meat to the independent green grocers suppling seasonal veg. Hosting family and friends from all over the UK this year has inspired us to showcase the very best food and drink produce the area has to offer, creating a Christmas table that truly reflects the best of the Dales.
Local produce hubs
Places like Town End Farm Shop (Airton), Robertshaws (Skipton) and Campbells (Leyburn) make it easy to support a wide range of independent businesses in a single visit, while discovering seasonal ingredients and keeping shopping local and sustainable. And of course, what’s Christmas without a cheeseboard? The Dales is home to a wonderfully wide range of cheese producers and suppliers.
Artisan and farmers markets
We are lucky to have so many amazing artisan and farmers markets here in the Dales. Farmers’ markets are a great way to support small, independent producers. They give you the chance to buy directly from the people who grow, bake and make your food, ask questions, and discover produce you might not find in the supermarket. It’s a great way to shop more locally while supporting the businesses that keep our food and drink communities thriving.
Choosing local food in your own area, where possible, is a small step in the right direction. It’s easy to take for granted having such a wide range of produce from all over the world at our fingertips, but this way of life comes with a significant carbon footprint and can have a real impact on local businesses and producers.
So this Christmas, whether you’re hosting family, friends or just treating yourself, take a moment to explore what’s on your doorstep. You’ll find fantastic produce, support local businesses, and maybe even discover a few new favourites along the way.
As Ella puts it:
I always like to say a little thank you as I pop something into my shopping basket. It’s a small moment, but a nice reminder of the people behind our food, and why shopping local really does matter.
