Shaking the tree

It's been a strange week, but a good one for promoting what's great about living locally.

First up we had the horse burger scandal, where the supermarkets all got caught out for using suppliers that have been less than scrupulous about what they put into their products. Apart from producing some of the best tasteless jokes I've heard in ages, it was brilliant to see the reaction from all the farm shops and independent butchers on Twitter as they capitalised on the opportunity to promote the provenance of their superior delicious meats. Special mention has to go to Macbeths Butchers for their inspired press statement in The Coo's News.

Meanwhile, whilst the business news was all about the death of corporate giants on our beleaguered high streets, one British family were basking in the national coverage attracted by their attempts to spend a year only buying British products. The Bradshaw family's mission promotes all that is great about home grown local producers, service providers and manufacturers. You can follow their progress on @BritishFamily and through their website www.britishfamily.co.uk

Finally, we've had snow (well everywhere apart from here), and although the national reaction to the white stuff has been a little ridiculous, with reports of mass panic buying of sliced white from supermarket shelves, the independent Real Bread bakers were quick to start shouting about their ability to keep their local customers supplied whatever the weather.

Personally, I'm ready to join the revolution and have been working hard to get Hels' Bakehouse off the ground. I've come out of the baking closet and have set up a new Facebook page, I've been getting the web pages ready for www.helsbakehouse.com (nearly ready to go!) and best of all I've been baking!

This week saw the first test run of the Hels' Bakehouse Bread Club, with three willing volunteers ready to sample a loaf of Real Bread from my own micro bakery (previously known as my kitchen). There's a lot still do to perfect the routine, and I've already learnt some important lessons about planning ahead, volume and timing but that's what the test run is all about and it was a fantastic feeling to finally get things underway. As my new favourite artist Nell Bryden sings, it's time to Shake the Tree.

New beginnings

So it seems to be a new year and I'm feeling guilty about many things, including:

1. Not having blogged for ages
2. Not doing as much yoga as I would like/need to
3. Eating too much and working too little

However, 2013 is the year to change all that.

Since I last wrote life has been full on Christmas madness, but in between the mince pies, nativity plays, present frenzy and port drinking, I have been reading yoga books in preparation for the start of my teacher training course at the end of January and have also cleaned my kitchen so vigorously that it has been approved by the council for me to start my micro bakery when I am ready.

I now have a mountain of baking books, lots of new twitter bread buddies and an in depth knowledge of how to prevent cross contamination in a commercial kitchen. Most shockingly of all, instead of splashing out at the sales on shoes and sparkly things, I have spent all my Christmas money on loaf tins, cleaning products and stretchy yoga clothes.

In short, I have the theory and the gear sorted for getting both sides of my dream off the ground this year, now it's time to actually make it happen.

The tricky bit will be finding the time for it all whilst trying to keep everything else going as well. I'm fairly sure there will be some tears and trauma along the way, but I'm up for the challenge and hoping that by the end of 2013 I'll have a lot more to write about in my blog and a lot less to feel guilty about.

New Year's Resolutions sorted.

Oh, I'm going to walk up more mountains too.