By Emily Burton
At The Refill Pantry, we are proud to stock locally grown British products with a reduced environmental impact. We love supporting small enterprises and brands such as Hodmedod’s and Pastificio Carleschi, who are doing their bit to make our plates more sustainable.
Hodmedod is an East Anglian word meaning snail or hedgehog (depending whether you’re from Suffolk or Norfolk!). It is the name of a wonderful brand that sells pulses and grains from fair and sustainable UK production, organic where possible.
One of their products is British wholegrain quinoa. Originating from the Andes mountains in South America, quinoa is a high-protein seed that acts as a grain. It has been around for hundreds of years and has been a staple in the indigenous Andean diet, especially in rural Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
In recent years, it has become popular in Western culture, marketed as a super-food. This huge increase in demand for quinoa from the Western world has affected the livelihoods of the indigenous growers and their families, who can now no longer afford it. In 2013, the price of quinoa in Peru and Bolivia tripled due to global demand.
Buying imported quinoa also carries a massive carbon footprint as it has travelled over thousands of miles to our supermarket shelves.
The good news is that in 2006, the first crop of British-grown quinoa was harvested and farmers have learned to grow it successfully. Hodmedod’s award-winning quinoa is grown in Essex and is simply delicious!
Since then, the company has gone on to source locally-grown pulses, grains and seeds, supporting British farmers and helping to create a more sustainable food system. In 2019, they became the first company to harvest British-grown chickpeas for sale in the UK!
So why buy quinoa shipped from thousands of miles away, carrying a massive carbon footprint and supporting the disruption of foreign food systems, when you can support local growers without any of the extra airmiles or threat to food security and livelihoods?
Get your beans, seeds and quinoa at The Refill Pantry and experience the taste and quality of these products for yourself.
We stock:
British Yellow Split Peas
Red Haricot Beans
British Wholegrain Quinoa
British Chia Seeds
British Golden Whole Linseeds
Pastificio Carleschi are the first and only British artisan producer of organic dry pasta made with British stone-ground flour from ancient wheat. This beautiful Italian-style pasta is made in the UK and dried at low temperatures to maintain its flavour and nutrition.
Not only this, but they place environmental consciousness at the core of their brand.
✓ Their production is powered by green renewable energy
✓ All their pasta is packaged in 5kg paper sacks
✓ They support the zero-waste movement by selling in bulk shops across the UK, like The Refill Pantry!
Wholemeal Spelt Conchiglie shells, in stock now!
Toasted almond, light brown walnut, toffee, and caramel flavours.
A bit about spelt...
Spelt is a hulled wheat, has less gluten than bread wheat and a rich nutty flavour.
It is a great source of fibre, rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin B3 as well as calcium and vitamin E.
Pastificio Carleschi grind their spelt by stone so that none of the amazing nutritional and health benefits are lost in the milling process.
So, choose quality without the airmiles and support local British producers. By reducing our reliance on imported foods, we strengthen our food security and make the most of what can be grown on our own doorstep!