Despite its title…
… the Supermarket Siesta has nothing to do with the hard working people of ASDA or Lidl finally enjoying the benefits of hammocks, long lunchtimes or suntans in the workplace. No, the Supermarket Siesta could be thought of as a kind of philosophy for consuming food and drink.
What the hell am I going on about, you may ask? That’s a strong question that you may or may not have asked, dear reader – so, allow me to elaborate.
See, we live in a time where there is more choice than ever before in the variety of food and drink you can purchase and enjoy. It’s also cheaper and easier than ever to connect directly with food producers. So, why don’t we?
Usually it’s because we have supermarkets – who have streamlined the process of buying food and drink. Nothing necessarily wrong with that (though there are a few arguments against it, depending on what supermarket you choose, etc).
Anyway, thanks to our dear and omnipotent super-friend, the internet – we’ve almost completely overcome the problem of distribution. Which means there is another way of buying your food and drink – and that is directly from the producer.
Here at Tasting Britain we like the idea of the producers getting a bigger cut of the pie – especially smaller and more exciting ones who aren’t getting the airtime they deserve.
And this is where the Supermarket Siesta comes in
Courtesy of the fine people at Union Coffee, who were doing the ‘ethical trade with independent suppliers’ thing before it was cool. And Union have a challenge for you and me.
The challenge? Swap out your supermarket purchases and go direct for a few days, a week, or a month. They call it ‘buy better, live better’. True, ‘better’ is very subjective – but just give it a chance, you might very well discover something amazing.
So far, Union have recruited Bloom & Wild, Biscuiteers, Fish for Thought, FarmDrop, Hotel Chocolat, Market Porter, Naked Wines, Pet Mail (‘Prosecco and puppies’ lol), PetShop.co.uk, Pong Cheese and Whittard of Chelsea.
And you quite obviously don’t have to limit your Siesta to these guys.
Will it cost more?
Not necessarily. You could just take what you budget in a supermarket and buy directly from an independent producer instead. Pretty straightforward.
For example: Say you set aside £10 for coffee. Instead of spending it at Sainsbury, try buying it direct from a roaster like Union, or one of their many and excellent competitors.
Or, instead of buying some of those perfectly shaped (and often overpriced) veg from your local supermarket – try your local grocer, or street market.
Of course, how much of a challenge the Supermarket Siesta is will come down to your individual tastes and how much you currently rely on your supermarket. But hey, you’ll never never know what it’s like until you try.
Like charity or a great journey that could take you to great places, the Supermarket Siesta begins at home.
For more info, take a look here:
http://www.supermarketsiesta.com/
