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introduction
Welcome to the first edition of Think Local - Huntingdonshire’s local foods and
crafts directory. The aim is to raise awareness of and promote some of the small
businesses that produce and sell their own goods within the district of
Huntingdonshire.
The directory can also be found on Huntingdonshire District Council’s website here.
The site includes a map showing where
the business is located and more information about the produce that is sold. The
online version of the directory will be updated regularly on a bi-monthly basis.
We hope that you find the directory useful. If you run a business that produces
goods locally and would like to be included in the next edition, please fill in the
form at the back of the document and return it to us.

advantages of shopping locally
There are many advantages of shopping locally. Most importantly, you are helping
our local businesses to survive in a global climate with competition from large
national chains. Small local businesses can often produce more interesting
traditional goods and have sometimes had their skills passed down to them from
previous generations. As noted in the farmers’ market section, buying locally can
help individual businesses but as they prosper, the economic well being of the
whole of the district can also be improved.
Recently people have become concerned with ‘food miles’, i.e. the huge
distances that goods, mainly food, travel before reaching our tables. A lot of food
could easily be grown and sold locally but instead it is shipped around the country,
or even from overseas which adds to the volume of road and air traffic, and
therefore pollution levels.
The greater the distance the produce has travelled, the less fresh and nutritious it
is by the time we eat it. After various food scares of recent years, many people
prefer to know exactly what they are buying and where it came from.

organic produce
Organically grown foods are produced without the use of artificial pesticides,
fertilisers, herbicides and fungicides. In recent years the amount of organic
produce consumed has steadily increased.
There are a number of benefits of eating organically grown or reared foods or
buying organic produce. It’s healthier as it contains no artificial additives or
pesticides and is GM free (free from genetically modified ingredients). Because it
relies on natural fertilisers and pest deterrents, it is better for the environment and
wildlife.
Some of the producers featured in this directory sell organic goods and these are
marked with the organic symbol.