Now that we have been bitten by the ‘buying British bug’ one of the things that we will now never give up is our new found love of seasonal eating. However, the one issue with this life style choice is that once the cold weather starts to kick in the variety of produce available really dries up.

At this time of year our fruit selection becomes depressingly limited. Veg is mostly what I call ‘Stewables’, things like cabbages, potatoes, turnips. I like a good hearty slow cooked dumpling laced stew as much as the next girl but there is only some much of this you can take. Our fruit options are even worse – only apples and pears for 4 months!

Last year, being buying British novices, we struggled through on the limited fayre on offer. However, after a spring and summer spent preserving, jamming, picking and freezing we are unlikely to suffer the same fate again this year.

James’ damson jam gets spread on toast most mornings, we have strawberries and blackberries a-plenty in the freezer and a store of various other past seasonal delights resplendent in their multi-coloured jars in the pantry. All of these ingredients are just waiting to jazz up the staples currently on offer.

Not only have we found learning these new skills and techniques tremendous fun but we are now reaping the benefits and saving money too.

– Emily

Britain’s wholesale auctioning off of everything from once nationalised industries to our most iconic brands has to stop! Our current eagerness to sell everything we have of value has to be unsustainable and bad for the economy in both the long and short-terms. This post is prompted by news yesterday of Hovis being sold to american investment firm The Gores Group after 125 years of continued British ownership. The straw that has broken the camels back, if you will. It feels like not a week goes by without another much loved British institution being sold to the highest bidder. But is my view just sentimentalism? Is foreign investment simply a sign of a more globalised economy?

A great example is that of Boots the Chemist, not least because growing up in Nottingham it is a brand that means so much to me and my family. Boots was sold in 2007 to an Italian investment firm. Soon after the takeover, Boots — which had been based in Nottingham for 161 years — moved its headquarters to Zug in Switzerland. Before the takeover, Boots had paid £89 million in British tax in its final year as a quoted company on the London stock market. Now that it pays its tax in Zug, that figure has shrunk to just £9 million. This leaves an 80 million defect each year in the British coffers.

Worryingly, foreign companies acquired £30billion  worth of British enterprises in 2009. In 2010, that rose to a value of £54.5 billion and has been steadily raising ever since.

Other countries adopt what’s known as ‘economic patriotism,’ which involves putting tremendous obstacles in the path of foreign bids. France argues that it’s in the national interest to prevent key technologies falling into foreign hands. Key technologies that extend all the way from nuclear power to yoghurt-making. We must start to adopt similar measures!

Recalling the famous Hovis advert – once all our brands are sold off surely we face an increasingly steep hill up which we must push our bike to replace all that we have sold. 

I would be interested to hear from anyone with any ideas of what must be done to put pressure on government to stop this madness!

– James

An all-new, British luxury automotive brand is coming soon, promising to refresh the classic British sports car market.

David Brown Automotive, named after its founder, is said to be launching their first car this year. David is apparently not settling for an update on an existing model, it is a totally brand new car, but with limited production. Interestingly he has bought in key industry talent to help him led by Alan Mobberley, who was chief designer as Land  Rover.

David explained: “I wanted all the impact and style of a classic sports car, but with modern capabilities and conveniences. This is what I want in a car, but it’s not something anyone really offers. So, I’ve created it myself.”

The British automotive industry is now the 2nd most productive in Europe, but more than 90% of this production is for foreign owned brands. This project will be a British owned automotive brand added to a tragically exclusive list that currently includes Morgan, Caterham and few others. So this is great news!

There are very few details around at the moment but the result – codenamed “Project Judi” – will be revealed in April 2014.  We will bring you more when we hear.  In the meantime we suggest you get saving your pennies because we suspect this car is not going to be cheap.

– James

Sad news today: The factory, owned by Headen and Quarmby, that rose to prominence due to their manufacture of Mary Portas’ Kinky Knickers brand has recently gone into administration, making all 33 of it’s staff redundant. This is very sad for us as we have had the pleasure of being able to sample some of their fantastic products early last year and had much interaction with them on Twitter.

There is little information in the press about this at the moment but here is a summary from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25781549

We wish the owners and skilled workers of Headen & Quarmby well at what must be a very stressful time. We just hope now that a buyer can be found to take over the factory as a going concern. Fingers crossed!

On the positive note, it was arguably Mary Portas’ program The Bottom Line which really started the modern debate about the benefits of championing British manufacturing. I know it went a long way to influencing us.  All involved should be very proud of their achievements.

Matt and Sue – Loving Stoke pottery!

Earlier this week I attended the Top Drawer exhibition at Earls Court II in London. After traipsing  a rabbit warren of seemingly endless hall ways, in the tradesman entrance to Earls Court,  I finally arrived at the event and was immediately taken by the sheer scale of it. Rows upon rows of exhibition stands, which in some areas we so tightly packed  that it reminded me of being in a Morroccan bazaar. Many of the exhibitors I spoke to suggested that the event had doubled in size this year  and as such, was not as successful for them this time around as previous years and I could see why. There were isles upon isles of much of the same stuff… silk scarves, jewelry and greetings cards etc.

Anyway, I was there to see if there was a decent quantity of British manufacturing in attendance. The organisers had rather helpfully tried to include a union flag logo on on the stall signage of those exhibitors  whose goods were made in Britain. Needless to say, I saw very few stalls with this logo on and it’s usage was very hit and miss. There was also plenty of misleading marketing regarding the products true “made in Britian” credentials of certain products.

I did have an interesting conversation with company called Rock & Ruddle that manufactures cute plastic hair brushes, similar to Kent Brushes but theses ones were made in China. They apparently scoured the UK for a manufacturer before eventually outsourcing to the Far East. They said that they were unable to find anyone here that could manufacture their brushes and still be competitive. They set me the challenge of finding someone that could make their stuff here in the UK and I will see what I can do.  I will certainly put a call out on Twitter for them about this and keep you posted.

Dimbleby Ceramics

I was beginning to feel a little depressed after only 3o minutes in. Then came salvation in the form of the Stoke-on-Trent ceramics pavilion. I knew that Dimbleby Ceramics were at the show but I did not realise that they were also there with 10 other pottery designers and makers from the area. I spent a long time with Matt from Dimbleby and Sue from the Ceramic Industry Forum (who bought the pavilion together) generally putting the world to rights. I was buoyed by their passion for British made, and more specifically the Stoke ceramics industry. Indeed they make some beautiful things and I was impressed by the quality of what was on show.

Other businesses of note I spoke to include Filberts Natural Beeswax products, Starchild shoes, Ruby Red cosmetics and Kentish card designer Gabrielle Izen. Beyond that the show was far too big for me to take in and I had to get out. Finding myself completely disorientated  in the mass of stalls I struggled to find the exit. Mild panic set in that it might be some time before I saw daylight again. Needless to say I finally did make it out but was left dazed by the experience.

The show itself seemed a little unfocused thematically and seemed too keen to welcome all comers, regardless of quality. In short not a great exhibition for me as a visitor and I was left wondering how well many of the stall holders could possibly have done.

Did you attend this event and if so what what your experience? Please comment.

– James

The offending advert

For the past 2 months we have had a problem with a Facebook insurance business using one of our images in their advertising. This was mildly flattering at first but we asked them politely to stop and indeed the image was no longer used as their profile picture. However, soon after this we began receiving emails, Tweets and FB posts from our follower who had received advertising from this business with the same image included. The sheer number of people that have made contact with us about this advert must suggest that it is fairly wide-spread.  The more worrying part of this is that many assumed that we somehow endorse, recommend or are otherwise behind the services advertised. We would like to say categorically that we are not.

The business connected to the Facebook page is not entirely apparent. The telephone numbers connected to the adversing go to an insurance brokerage company that claim no knowledge of it. After further investigation we traced the owners to a US based online advertising business. We have since made direct contact with them and again asked the to desist from using our image in their promotion. We have also asked, as restitution, that they make a donation of £1000 to The Princes Trust.  We will keep you posted as to what happens.

Of course if any reputable British businesses wish to use us as the face of their adversing campaign and throw a wodge of cash at us please don’t be shy about getting in touch 😉  MrB the face of Triumph motorcycles, Lucan the face of Merrythought Bears and MrsB the rear-end of Kinky Knickers… We like the sound of that!

Lucan is currently going through a phase of waking up really early in the morning, anywhere between 3-5 am. When he wakes at this time he is up and ready to go where as we, his suffering parents, feel little more than  death warmed up. This has been going on for about 6 weeks now and we have only managed it by taking it in turns to get up with him. Something has to change!

The other day I found the Stephen’s branded reward chart in Lorimers, a local stationers. James has had some contact with West Design, the company that owns the Stephen’s brand in the past so I knew that it was British made. My plan was to reward Lucan with a star (and an occasional choccy treat) for every morning that he stays in bed until 6am. The first few nights were not in the least bit successful but after a little coercion and a night light he managed to wake up at 5:30am and then stayed with me in his room until 6. This warranted a sticker and he was completely thrilled! This seemed to be the catalyst for change and with the odd wobbly night he has since started waking  at about 5:45am which may sound ungodly to most but is a real treat for us!

The reward chart was completely customisable which meant that whether it was behaviour, a new skill or a few things at once we could use the same system. A simple concept but great none the less, lets hope it brings a bit more peace and shut eye to the Bradshaw household!

– Emily

Please find a copy of our latest press release:

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In January 2013 James (35), Emily (30) and their son Lucan (3) set themselves an unusual New Years resolution. Fed up with the slow economy, the lack of fair taxes being paid by large foreign businesses and a general 40 year neglect of the British manufacturing sector as a whole, they decided to see if it was possible to keep all of their money in the UK. They asked themselves the simple question can a normal British family survive on only British made goods?

12 months on and their year has not been without adversity, frustration and hard work. “The first 2-3 months were the hardest” James points out. “The research to find British made goods took over our lives and we would both be at a computer regularly until the early hours of the morning.” They also had problems doing their normal weekly shopping and would often have to visit 2-3 supermarkets in a day to get the range of goods required to feed the family only British. The family found visiting the high streets and local shopping malls to be fruitless exercises when looking for British made clothing, electronics and other such items and all this this forced them to consider alternative life-style choices to complete their challenge.

The last time there was a necessity for families in the UK to survive on only British goods was during the 2nd World War when it was nigh-on impossible for imports to reach the country. Initiatives such as ‘make do and mend’ and ‘dig for victory’ ultimately became the Bradshaw’s inspiration. “We began buying our food more directly from the farmers, growing and preserving our own fruit and veg and seeing our clothing purchases as investments that needed to be properly maintained rather than disposed of” says Emily. But despite the extra effort, 12 months on and the Bradshaw’s say that they have hit upon a new lifestyle that actually suits them better not least because they claim to now save up to 20% on their weekly shopping bills.

The last year also saw some high profile stories centred around foreign imports. The horse meat scandal raised questions about our foods supplies and the factories collapsing in Bangladesh killing over 1000 people made many think about where the things they buy were made. These issues have certainly made the Bradshaw’s think “We began to understand our place as consumers and understand the ‘real’ cost of what we buy. If something is too cheap we perhaps need to ask ourselves why” says Emily. However, the family are keen not to be labelled as protectionist or against imports. “We are certainly not anti anything. We do not believe that supporting Britain should mean that any other country loses out. We just want to celebrate and be proud of what the UK does produce” says James.

The original question the Bradshaw’s sought to answers was ‘Is it possible for a normal British family to survive on just British goods?’ The answer is no. Ultimately, there are certain things that are no longer made here in the UK; light bulbs, matches, batteries, children’s toys, printers and ink to name but a few. However, James is keen to point out that it is not all bad news “British manufacturing is still alive and kicking. There are some great UK products out there but they need much more consumer support. It is down to us to seek out British made products and demand them from retailers. The family also claim to have unearthed a rich seam, great quality British made electronics, clothing and plastics items all at competitive prices and regularly review these in their www.britishfamily.co.uk blog. They have even set up a dedicated website, called Britipedia, that seeks to connect consumers with British manufacturers.

By their own admission the family wandered quite naively in to their challenge, hoping perhaps to get some publicity for their cause locally, but were taken by surprise when the national and even international media began to call. “We are astounded, but immensity proud, that we have been able to bring some long overdue support to the manufacturers and farmers of Great Britain, and raise awareness of their hard-work on their behalf.” says dad James. Their numerous interviews on TV, radio and in the press have meant that they have now become well known consumer champions for UK industry, known affectionately as The British Family, but Emily is keen to note “In a way it is a shame that it’s us doing this. Promoting such an important part of our economy should not be left to a normal British family. Surely this should be the job of the Government, business leaders or maybe even celebrities.” It is perhaps testament to the neglect manufacturing feels as a sector that they were so quick to look for a champion in this normal British family.

As their initial challenge draws to a close what is next for the Bradshaw family? Well, 2013 saw them organise the first British Family Fayre, an event which attracted over 4000 people, and they already have a date set for 2014 and plan to make this years’ event even bigger and better. James is also on the committee of the new Made in Britain Campaign that have recently launched a kite-marque for British made goods. The family also have a number of other events lined up throughout the year with the sole intention of further celebrating British manufacturing and farming. But what about their challenge of buying British? James suggests they are keen to continue. “We would be silly to stop now. We have hit upon a lifestyle that suits us, that saves us money, that is ethical and socially conscious to boot. Buying British has now changed our lives forever and we have no intentions of ever going back.”

It has truly been a remarkable year for a British family with a passion for all things British.