Ferndene Farm Shop

General information

BigBarn is the UK's no.1 local food website. We help people find good, safe, accountable food & drink from local sources and encourage trade and communication. Even home production with our Crop for the Shop scheme.

This trade builds a more social, sustainable and, local, food industry where direct trade means a stronger local economy and the increased demand influences a greater range of fresher, and better, produce, often cheaper than the supermarket!

BigBarn is committed to reversing the anti-social trend of the UK food industry. A trend towards the growing mass production of food and control of the market by big business and retailers, giving farmers an average of only 9p in every £1 spent on food in the supermarket. And where milk is cheaper than water in some shops!

BigBarn promotes local food producers and independent retailers, as icons on post code specific maps accessed through the internet. It allows small, struggling, rural, producers to sell direct and get a better price. And consumers access to cheaper, fresh, seasonal, accountable, food. It also reduces food miles, increases food knowledge and education as well as promoting agricultural diversity and boosting local rural economies to make those communities more sustainable.

How does BigBarn benefit the community?

1. It provides a definitive database of producers who want to sell direct.
2. It promotes these producers by displaying them on post code specific maps.
3. BigBarn actively seeks other like-minded websites to display the BigBarn map, free, to open within their website to promote local producers.
4. It encourages consumers to Crop for their Local Shop to help make it the local food hub and champion
5. It develops and promotes an on-line MarketPlace to allow producer members of BigBarn e-commerce to sell local food online.
6. BigBarn is continually looking for ways to help producers team up with local shops to offer consumer a complete range of food & drink cheaper, like for like, than the supermarket. see shop.bigbarn.co.uk
7. It accesses any grants to help achieve the BigBarn community's objectives.
8. It provides producer members with a database of case studies to help them improve their businesses and better meet the needs of local consumers.
9. It is always looking to improve and grow

Our CIC statement to producers and independent retailers selling local produce is to:

• Continue to promote the BigBarn map and website to consumers and like-minded organisations
• Offer a listing on the BigBarn website to all producers and independent retailers who: Sell direct
• Offer premium listings and discounts on products and service for those that want to pay for them
• Provide case studies on best practice and how to build local food supply chains

Our CIC statement to Consumers is to:

• Offer access to the BigBarn website, free, a user friendly way of finding local producers of food
• Offer access to recipes, blogs, forums and foody articles
• Offer the BigBarn emailed post code specific newsletter free

Anyone can visit BigBarn at anytime and join in. See your local food map, shop online in our MarketPlace, find or watch a recipe and read the latest news and blogs. Or even easier, register your email and post code for the BigBarn emailed newsletter to ensure you’re kept up to date on your local food industry via latest news and blogs, and special offers from your local producers.

If you would like to help BigBarn you can volunteer to spread the word in your area by calling 01480 890 970 or donate through our online shop.