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

We are pleased to announce that our auction in aid of the Prince’s Trust is now open: http://www.britishfamilyfayre.co.uk/charity-auction/

Our Prince’s Trust auction is made up entirely of generously donated items. The auction itself will be held in two parts. Firstly there will be a silent auction made up of online bids and secondly a live auction to be held on 31st August. The highest bidder for each lot from the online stage will then go on to be a sealed bid on the day of the British Family Fayre. Should there not be a higher bid on the day of the live auction the highest sealed bid will be win the auction.

Still time to donate:

There are some fantastic British made goods donated by some very generous British businesses. We are still accepting donations so please feel free to get involved if you can. Get in touch.

Here is my leather work on display at PUG.

I posted some time ago that the combination of being recently unemployed and inspiration gained from the manufacturers we have met has meant I have been going into production.

I have made my own leather goods for a while but recently decided, with some time on my hands, to become a manufacturer myself. Yes, this is very small scale, and not particularly financially lucrative, but is still very rewarding.

So far I have been selling mostly through my Folksy store, and the odd local craft fair, but have now just set up my own independent website (www.rawleather.co.uk). However, what is perhaps a little more interesting is that I have also begun stocking my first retailer. The Pug on the (www.pugonthesquare.co.uk) is based in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire and is a shop/gallery of purely British made goods. They have an ever changing selection of fantastic quality items and I was very honoured when they asked me to provide them with a few pieces.

Owner David is particularly passionate and supportive of British made goods and certainly a kindred spirit in that regard. So, if you find yourself  in or around Gloucester  in the next few weeks please go and visit this unique boutique specialising in fine British craftsmanship… and some of my stuff. 😉

– James

British farming has had a turbulent year but recent events have also highlighted the importance knowing where your food comes from. This has resulted in unprecedented backing from consumers. Now the NFU is urging the public to help turn around a decline in self-sufficiency that means the UK produces just 62 per cent of its own food.

The NFU state that our current self-sufficiency rate means that today, August 14, is the day when British food supplies would run out if all the food produced in Britain in a year was stored and eaten from January 1. This means that, had everyone in the country replicated our project to buy British we would today be in a position where we would be struggling to find our next meal.

The NFU is determined to reverse this trend. Evidence demonstrates that the will is there. A One Poll survey has revealed that 78 per cent of consumers thought supermarkets should stock more British food and 42 per cent said they were more likely to buy more traceable food produced on British farms. And farmers are ready to rise to the challenge to produce more food sustainably.

NFU President Peter Kendall said the decline in self-sufficiency in many sectors should be a warning signal that something is wrong.

“To think that today’s date would signal the time when our domestic food supply runs out is frankly alarming”, said Mr Kendall. “It says to me that we must act.

“As an industry we have had a challenging decade but the realisation has dawned that as a nation we can’t simply go around the world chasing the cheapest deal for our food.

“So, instead we need to look closer to home. Right across the board farmers have a fantastic natural capacity to produce more British food, given the right market signals and the confidence to invest. We have the right technologies to produce more from less with precision farming helping to target fertiliser and crop protection products within centimetres. Laser technology can even pinpoint an individual weed, improving accuracy and efficiency. Crops grown under cover help to lengthen the season for our British fruits. But there is more to do to empower our farmers to enable them to make the most of our natural resources and feed our growing nation.

“I want to know our government is really getting to grips with its food vision and ensuring that sustainable, productive farming is across all government departments. Let’s create an environment which really means farming businesses can invest. Let’s address market failure and iron-out volatility to enable the entire food chain to grow supply.

“We have all learned the lessons of long, complex supply chains and retailers are all telling me that they want to work with British farmers to ensure their shelves are stocked with more British produce. We currently import around £37.6bn of food and drink. We are a trading nation but at a time of economic uncertainty a strong food producing industry is essential.

“Consumers are increasingly showing their support for British farming and are our best ally. I would ask to them to continue showing their support by demanding of their local supermarket, restaurant, or MP – what are you doing to Back British Farming?

-James

Triumph T10 (Tina)

Those that have followed our buying British campaign will know that, about 4 months ago, I bought a new Triumph Explorer motorcycle. However, I also own another Triumph and have done for about 3 years. My other ‘iron horse’ is a little known 1960’s Triumph scooter called a T10 (originally called a Tina). In the 3 years that I have owned this 99cc beast I have been tinkering with her on and off (mostly off) trying to get  her back on the road.

The reason I mention this little scooter is because the two bikes I now own epitomise Britain’s engineering  at the times that they were made. The Triumph Tina was developed in the early swinging 60’s as a proposed antidote to the burgeoning cool of the Italian Vespa’s and Lambretta’s flooding the U.K market at the time. It launched tp a flood of publicity and at great expense, which included a campaign fronted by non other than Cliff Richard. Basically Triumph invested every penny they had in bringing it to market but in their eagerness to beat the Italians at their own game they had one issue… it did not work.

I am sorry to say that the Triumph Tina rolled off the production line with an innovative, but deadly, new automatic clutch. This newly patented, British engineered part had a tendency to seize unexpected at speed. This resulted in numerous magazine test riders and members of Joe Public being thrown off their seats. This lead to an extensive product recall that cost Triumph dearly. They tried in vain to relaunch the Tina two years later as the T10 (the one that I have). Firstly to correct the clutch issues and secondly to rebrand it – the Triumph brand had become a bit of a laughing stock for producing the female-orientated scooter. But this remedial action came a little too late and the Triumph T10 and it’s failure could likely be blamed for sending the firm into administration.

Throughout the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s Britain produced swathes of poorly constructed vehicles, the legacy of which arguably tarnished the reputation of our engineering sector until very recently. Britain now now produces more cars than Germany and is second only to France in the league of European car production. Britain’s engineering has bounced back but sadly not quick enough to keep many of the well know British brands under U.K. ownership.

Thankfully though the Triumph brand has endured. Despite a tumultuous recent history, they are stronger than ever and they certainly deserve their current position as market leaders for motorcycles. My Triumph Explorer has the most outstanding build quality of any bike I have owned (which is a lot!!!). In fact this particular model boast 10,000 miles between services, which is one one of the main reasons that I went for this model. The company that built my Explorer is certainly a different animal to that which built the T10 50 years ago. Triumph’s future as a British brand is strong and they fly the flag well for British engineering across the globe.

However, if there is one way in which my little T10 wins over the monsterous 1200cc Explorer it is in it’s charm. The T10 has bags of character and is totally lovable. But they both have their place in my garage; one as a useful and reliable tool the other as a quirky but beautiful machine… that is destined hurt me.

As an aside: when I first bought my T10, as a whim, of Ebay 3 years ago I found no information online about these little scoots. So, I built and now manage the worlds first and now biggest (because there is only one) website and forum dedicated to Triumph scooters – www.triumphscooters.co.uk. This forum now boasts members from around the globe and, in 3 years, has helped preserve 100’s of the scooters from the scrap heap. I am proud to say that this site that I created is helping to preserve an important piece of British engineering history.

– James

Before anyone panics I’m not talking about a water drought, or not one that I know about, but one of English and Welsh wine. Not a crisis for everyone but when your choice is limited, a lack of availability of English wine does become a bit of an issue.

When we started out our project there were at least 3 English still wines available in our local Waitrose as well as 3 sparkling ones. That gave me quite a choice and although they cost a bit more than I would normally pay they were well worth it. I would not qualify as a connoisseur by any stretch but I know what I like when I taste it and I really enjoy English wine.

So you can imagine my surprise when I went into a Waitrose near where I work in March to get a bottle of English white  for a dinner party and was told they were having supply problems, and weren’t expecting a delivery until OCTOBER! I thought that this was something that  would just pass and that as the demand for all things British increased there would surely be a resurrection in the wine chain into the supermarkets. We have tried ‘British’ wine before but I must admit it is not for me, as it is very sweet and quite watery all in one. NOTE: British wine and English wine are not the same thing. British wine is made from imported grape concentrate. 

So we find that the only way to remedy the drought is to visit the vineyards themselves. Not a problem as they are always lovely places to visit but not exactly making it easy to choose and enjoy English wine. We are planning a visit to Denbies at some point as we haven’t visited them yet and are told they offer a great visitor experience.

More than a good day out though I would really like to see the supermarket return a bit of choice to their consumers and offer up an English (or Welsh depending on where you are) wine to go along with the wine from almost everywhere else in the world. We make great wine here and it is time we were able to get our hands on the stuff to enjoy at home.

– Emily

There are not many things in my life that I can say I am particularly fussy over but I do like nice nails. Well, what girl doesn’t?

When we started our project to buy only British I had a good supply of nail varnishes, files and nail varnish remover and, up until now, this has done me pretty well. Then about 2 weeks ago, I went to paint my nails for a wedding we were going to and to my horror what came out on the little brush was more like a glue consistency than a liquid.

I had looked through our local Boots earlier on in the year and had found nothing. Therefore you can imagine my surprise and excitement when at a concession stand, filled with every colour nail varnish you could ask for, I turned over the bottle and saw Made in England!

Needless to say I have now acquired 6 new bottles to hopefully get me through the last few months of our project. The Models Own range is huge, the staff were super and best of all it’s British!

As for varnish remover, I have also found the Enliven range of products have a great remover which is 250ml for less than £1.  You cannot say fairer than that!