17/09/2026
We want to update members about Brixworth Community Larder and our produce supplies.
Each week, we buy nearly 600 kg from FareShare Midlands with very little control or influence over exactly what we receive. This means every week is different, and we're never sure exactly what we're going to receive. We top up the FareShare delivery with store=cupboard items and additional chilled goods purchased from Aldi to ensure a wide range of products are available.
Regulars may have noticed that the amount of fruit and veg has been declining, and the variety is much reduced compared to earlier in the year.
This is due to a combination of factors.
Firstly, nobody can have failed to spot the repeated heat waves and their impact on growing conditions. Even in the supermarketings, fruit and veg is in shorter supply and some vegetables are rather small and stunted this year (don't get me started on cauliflowers).
Secondly, back in April, a government scheme called 'Surplus with Purpose' came to an end. The scheme paid farmers to pass their surplus fruit and veg to organisations like FareShare for onward distribution to groups such as ours.
The good news is that we have been receiving excellent quantities of chilled foods throughout the summer, with far more of this type of food than we historically received. We have been getting so much that I've just had to order more chilled bags to make sure we have capacity to put it out for our members during service.
We also took the decision during the summer - when we knew the fruit and veg would start to decline - to add packaged bread to our unpointed (i.e. 'free with shop') offer.
We are confident that after more than 4 years of holding the weekly larder in the Village Hall, the outstanding team of volunteers who make up Brixworth Community Larder still offer exceptional value for money to our members.
I would also like to take this opportunity to also thank the allotment holders of the Northampton Road Allotments for their generous donations of their surplus fruit and veg, as well as individuals in the village who often give their garden trees a good shake and pass on apples, pears and other fruit and veg.
