Buoyed by the overwhelming success of the British Family Fayre, just 2 short weeks ago, we are keen to continue the momentum in or effort to promote the best of British. The next two weeks are going to be manic for us and you are going to see a spate of important, ambitious and unbelievably announcements from us… so stay tuned.

Many people have asked what our next challenge would be, after bringing nearly 4000 people to our home town to celebrate British manufacturing and farming. Well, we are pleased to announce that we have set ourselves the challenge of organising a pop-up restaurant, with over 100 tables, offering a unique British dining experience.

The plan is that the restaurant will open for just two days during the first 2 weeks of December 2013, serving a true taste of British.

I am afraid that, at this point, this is as much information as I have for you. We are currently looking at locations and the chances are that it will take place in either Kent or Central London.

Get in early!

We are  looking for industry partners and businesses willing to help/sponsor this great event, expected to attract national media interest. If you have a business that would like to be involved in this is fantastic promotional opportunity, or you would simply like to come and join us for a slap up British dinner on the day, please register your interest here:

Two more iconic British brands have recently been sold to the highest foreign bidder. Ribena and Lucozade have now left these shores, likely never to return. Apparently, £1.35bn buys a slice of British culture and 150 years of childhood memories. I personally have fond recollections of both brands:

Whenever I was sick as a child a bottle of Lucozade would magically appear by my bedside. No matter what the illness, this bright orange elixir would be the apparent cure. I am still convinced that it can cool a fever, stop the itch of chicken pox or even re-grow a limb. I recall the old glass bottle contained in a cellophane film and the slight medicinal smell as the first gas escaped when I twisted the metal lid.

Then there is Ribena. Well known for being responsible for 95% all the UK’s black current production, and did you know that during the war this blackcurrent syrup was one of the nations main sources of Vitamin C? Again, my personal recollections of this brand are well ingrained into my psyche, and without these cartons of sugary liquid my early summers would have never been the same.

Is it silly that a grown man should have such an emotional response to two overly sweet drinks? I challenge anyone to not have similar memories. So, when we talk about brands being worth billions of pounds I say they are worth much more. To me they are worth over 150 years of British cultural significance and the childhood memories of multiple generations of a nations children.

Some may suggest that this post is overly dramatic, and perhaps that is true, but it is difficult to see why we do not, as a country, value our Brands far more than than we do. There value is not just financial but cultural and when we sell a brand as iconic as Aston Martin or Cadbury or HP Sauce (the list is tragically endless) it feels like we lose a bit of our selves.

– James

This marrow and mint quiche also looks like a winner.

When eating entirely seasonally, as we now do, it is great when the season changes and a new range of produce begins to hit the dinner plate. However, this initial enthusiasm, after weeks of eating the same sorts of stuff, begins to wear off. By the end of any one season we find that we are left with a glut of a particular ingredient that we have run out recipes and passion for. This is our current issue with marrows. Our larder currently heaves with these unwieldy vegetables – which seem to have a self life similar to the half life of plutonium. We cannot face throwing them away but adversely cannot  face another ratatouille, or taking out Big Yellow Storage for them. So the question is, what the heck can we do with these things? Answers on a postcard… or just in the comment box below.

We put a quick call out to Twitter and the winning answer so far was Marrow Rum. Check out the recipe here:  http://www.allbritishfood.com/Marrow/Marrow%20Rum.php

My lovely wife is, despite her disagreement with this statement, extremely hard to buy presents for. Christmas, anniversaries and Birthdays are a source of continued torment for me, because I really struggle to find appropriate gifts her. It is fair to say that our project to buy only British stuff has not made these occasions any easier for me.

Emily’s most recent birthday was further complicated by the fact that it took place on the same day that we hosted close to 400o revealers at our British Family Fayre event on 31st August 2013. After much research, and calls to Twitter for inspiration, I made my choice. They were as follows:

1. Zatchel Barrel bag

Emily has been after a Cambridge Satchel Company satchel for a while but after some tactical questioning, in the weeks preceding the big day,  I worked out that this purchase would not be without risk. She was not sure about what style, colour or design she wanted and suggested that she would need to see a couple in a shop before buying one. I was not going to take the risk of buying the wrong one so decided on the smaller Zatchel barrel bag which she could use on the day of the fayre but also leave her free to buy a Cambridge Satchel of her own choosing at a later date.

2. Dwarf Fruiting Cherry Tree

I originally started looking for a British grown olive tree, as I know she would love one. I rang a few UK based companies and quickly worked out that what I was looking for was an olive tree grafted and matured here in the UK. After speaking to a number of companies I also worked out that this was not going to be possible. All of the trees  I found where grafted and grown, even in their early stages, abroad.

Moving away from finding an olive tree, I contacted Frank P Matthews who were fabulously knowledgeable and guided me towards various fruit trees grown entirely in the UK. I opted for a late fruiting cherry, of a variety appropriately called Sweet Heart, which stands about 6 feet tall and will never get much bigger.

3.Breffo

This was arguably the most successful present I got for the missus this year. The Breffo is a flexible holder for phones and other devices. MrsB has used her phone as her sat-nav for years and resorted to resting it precariously within a holder that was too small and so would often fall out as she was driving. We were introduced to Breffo through Twitter and one was instantly on the shopping list. I bough her a pink one and she loves it. The great thing about these handly little bits of kit is that they are only £20… so I bought one for my self at the same time (not in pink though).

I hope that she is happy with her eclectic mix of gifts this year, or if she isn’t I hope she never tells me so.

– James

Those following us on Twitter will understand the hassle we had finding clothes for the British Family Fayre. We have said this over and over but the issue is not finding British made clothes per se, it is finding clothes within our budget. This is especially tight at the moment as James has not yet found a job. I even went as far as attempting to make my own dress (which James thought looked great, but I disagreed).

In the end I opted for a floral print dress from Closet Clothing. I was really worried about the length of it, so after some serious brain wracking I added a white petticoat skirt  to add more length and another layer making the overall look more full. With the pressures being in front of nearly 4000 people, it being my birthday and national TV and press being on site the outfit, for me, had to be right.

The dress it’s self  was £52.00 which I was really pleased with. The only downside was that I had to do some pretty careful measuring as there was nowhere to go to try anything on . The look was finished with a pair of Navy Napa British Flat Shoe Company Shoes and a pair of Yull Brompton Suede shoes. Yes – two pairs of shoes in one day… what can I say it was my birthday!

James had bought me a Zatchel Pastel Green Barrel Bag as one of my birthday presents which I also sported on the day. I was rather worried that with a change in dress colour it wouldn’t go but I have to admit that the whole ensemble looked really pretty good on the day… even James said so 😉

-Emily

That’s me on the left!

I struggled with my wardrobe for the British Family Fayre and, while arguably not as important as MrsB’s outfit, I was keen to look as good as I could. I stress that our money is really tight at the moment so I was reluctant to spend huge amounts on new clothes. I began by looking for a British made shirt but simply could not afford the £90-£150 that they average in cost, so decided on finding a polo shirt. I felt that whatever I wore it must have a collar.

The first port of call was John Smedley but at £100 for a polo this was not going to offer the kind saving I needed. After a lot more searching I found Coeur de Leon online, who seem extremely patriotic about their British made clothes. Most of their range is very well priced. For instance they have a wax jacket for just £79.99 which, I think, is remarkable value. However, their polo tops at £50 still felt a little steep. With little time to do any more searching I bit the bullet and ordered from Coeur de Leon. I had not realised that each item was made to order, so when the polo did not arrive in time for our shoot with The Telegraph about 4 working days after ordering I was a bit worried that it might not arrive in time for the Fayre itself.  After a couple of emails exchanged, the guys at Coeur de Leon pulled out all the stops and got the shirt to me in the nick of time for the fayre.

The next drama was trousers. I found a pair of Barrington Ayre cream chinos in the sale and at £50 that seemed like a reasonable solution. Again, when the trousers did not turn up after a few days (again missing the Telegraph shoot) I put in a call. There was some issue with my order and the bottom line was that I would have to go back to the drawing board. However, the gentleman that I spoke to at Barrington Ayre could not do enough to rectify the issue. It transpired that they had very little in stock that would suit but there were two possible options, a brown chino and a blue chino. They sent me both to try and I settled on the brown for the day as my new polo was navy blue.

I then finished the outfit with an obligatory pair of  Marko John’s socks and Barker slip on shoes.

Special mention must made to Josery who heard about my plight and sent me a white polo (which can be bought from their website for just £28). I will let you into a secret here – I did actually see these but the images on the website put me off.  However, when the shirt arrived it should not have been originally put off. It is fantastic quality and looks great. It just goes to show that you can find good quality, high street priced clothing… if you know where to look.

All in all, I find buying British clothes the most hit and miss part of buying British. Because it is all on line you cannot try anything on and there are the standard variables with distance buying such as delivery times and not actually knowing what you are going to get. Cost continues to be a pet gripe too. Cost effective British made clothing is available but it takes some research. On the up side the customer service, even when things go wrong, is fantastic and the desire to help is there.

The long awaited run down of MrsB’s fayre outfit will be coming later.

-James

Please download this web-poster and add to Facebook, Twitter or your website.

In the immortal words of Swedish one-hit-wonders Europe, it’s The Final Countdown. To the British Family Fayre that is!

As a family we are currently racked by a numbing mix of nervousness and anticipation that we are just 1 week away from this momentous event. Months of hard work culminating in one wonderful day in celebration of British manufacturers, British farmers and Britain itself. We truly believe that we have a great show lined up.

We have 11 separate attractions entertaining the public throughout the day plus more than 60 British businesses from across the country represented. Not to mention the 23 interactive workshops in which manufacturers are demonstrating their products in fun and innovative ways.

We are also pleased to announce that we have nearly 30 lots (and rising) for our Prince’s trust charity auction, including some surprise lots that will be announced on the day. Make sure you stick around until 3pm for this!

And that is not all… you really must get yourselves down to Westerham, Kent on 31st August to get the complete picture.

Please help us promote the Fayre

With just one week to go we ask you, our fellow British enthusiasts, to do what you can to help us promote this unique event:

• Use your Facebook to promote and invite your friends and family along. You can do this by following this link and clicking ‘invite’: https://www.facebook.com/events/484442394981567/
• If you have a newsletter or mailing list please include details and an a link to the fayre site: http://britishfamilyfayre.co.uk/
• Make sure you are following @britishfamily on twitter and get tweeting… we will likely re-tweet you!
• There are downloadable marketing resources here: http://www.britishfamilyfayre.co.uk/marketing-resources/ including stuff you can print out, add to your website or Facebook pages and more.
• Last of all, if you are coming, bring everyone you know with you. Knock on your neighbours doors, tell your work colleagues and fill your car with people on the day

We cannot wait to see you all next Saturday!

– James, Emily & Lucan

A few weeks ago when ITV visited us I had just started making the dress I planned to wear for The British Family Fayre. It went together relatively easily and I was pretty chuffed, until I put it on. I must admit I was really not impressed by the silhouette it created even with a puffy petticoat added. The fit just wasn’t right.

I like this one from Alexander King but it is a little expensive

If you have ever tried making clothes for someone, part of the crucial stage is that of fitting the garment to the person who’ll wear it. That is nearly impossible to do on yourself  as the garment moves as you do, making it cumbersome to be able to pin yourself in. Safe to say that having tried it on with various combinations of underwear and over wear it was consigned to the top of the clothes pile in our bedroom.

I also like this one from Closet Clothing but I worry that, without seeing it, it may not be special enough… but the price is right.

So, now the hunt begins for THE dress for possibly the second biggest day of my life so far, closely behind my wedding. One of the issues is that I can’t at the moment find somewhere that I can go and try dresses on, as most of our British options are online only.  This means buying blind and hoping, which, with less than 2 weeks to go, is far from ideal. Another issue is that with James’ recent redundancy, money is rather tight so the stunning dresses from Alexandra King are just too much of a stretch for just one day’s wear. Today I have found an online shop called www.closetclothing.co.uk whose dresses will be a great addition to my work wardrobe, but I worry that they are not quite special enough for what I am looking for our very public event.

I suppose that this is a rather unashamed cry for help to anyone who might be able to be the  dress designer for the day. With TV crews and the nations press descending on us in just 11 days time is incredibly tight but I’m praying that there is someone who might be able to make a perfect suggestion.

– Emily