The Blue Egg

The Blue Egg is a shop located in Great Bardfield, Essex. Although they do not produce any items themselves, they source only local products to sell in their shop. Their small team search for different and unusual local products to guarantee something interesting to sell.

Because of this, The Blue Egg has an incredible range of products to sell. From naturally smoked fish, meats and pâtés to a range of sauces, oils, chutneys and other preserves. They stock both organic and non-organic dry produce such as pasta and flours as well as produce for those with special requirements, such as gluten-free produce.

The Blue Egg not only sells local food, but they also stock a whole range of locally produced beers, wines, ciders and spirits. On top of this they also sell specialist biscuits, chocolates and cakes.

This supplier of local produce is like no other and comes recommended by Essex Gourmet. In order to sample some of their magnificent range they offer a hamper service where you can pick and choose your own items to buy in a bundle.

The Blue Egg also has a gift and outdoor section and there is also a cafe on the premises, so it is definitely worth going along to their shop in Great Bardfield. You can find out more about them on their website at http://www.theblueegg.co.uk/

Rozbert Dairy

Rozbert dairy is located on the Suffolk/Essex border and produces natural milk, yoghurts and cheeses from it's own dairy herd of goats. They feed their goats on a diet completely free of GM ingredients and their products contain absolutely no artificial additives or colours.

Rozbert produce a range of flavoured yoghurts including apricot, strawberry, raspberry, black cherry and vanilla. They also produce different varieties of both hard and soft goat's milk cheese.

Goat's milk makes a great substitute for traditional dairy products due to the amount of nutrients found in it and it can also help relieve symptoms of illnesses such as soriasis, eczema and IBS. The Rozbert goats go out on grass everyday on organically-managed meadows as well as feeding on GM-free hay and specialist goat feed in order to maintain the quality of milk the herd produce.

You can purchase Rozbert products through their website at http://www.rozbert.co.uk/

Copella Fruit Juices

Copella is a well-established fruit juice company based on Boxford Farm, Suffolk. They have a knowledgeable apple team dedicated to harvesting their orchard throughout the seasons in order to hand-pick the apples when they're at their best. All of the Copella fruit juices are pressed from these hand-picked apples grown at Boxford Farm.

Copella was first created in the late 1960's when the family that owned the 120 acre fruit farm bought a fruit press and began producing juice from the fruits grown on their farm. Originally the juice was only available through local delicatessens and health food shops. In 1994 Copella launched its chilled range of 100% fruit juices that are familiar in Tesco and Waitrose supermarkets today.

Today, Copella has a wide range of apple fruit juices from their original 'English Apple' through to flavours such as 'Apple and Elderflower' and 'Apple and Mango' and they are still all produced on Boxford Farm to this day.

Their dedicated team not only hand-pick the apples to use in Copella fruits juices but they also have a resident apple expert who tastes the juice before it is bottled to ensure the highest quality product.

You can find out more about Copella fruit juices by visiting their website at http://www.copellafruitjuices.co.uk/

Home Fayre Ltd.

Home Fayre Ltd. is located in Basildon, Essex and has been producing home-made cakes for over 10 years. They have a wide range of different types of cakes, including traditional mixed fruit cakes, custom-made celebration cakes, gluten-free cakes and even sugar-free cakes for people who suffer from diabetes.

As well as being home-made, all of the cakes they produce contain no additives or preservatives. On top of this, Home Fayre also produce a range of other home-made products including fudges, jams and chutneys.

The business has a rapidly growing customer base and is very highly regarded in the local area, becoming a finalist in the 2007 Basildon district awards for the best "Growing Business of the Year".

Home Fayre Ltd. produces cakes for whatever requirements you may have, customising the cake and catering for any allegies. Not only can you can buy their products from their shop in Basildon, but they also provide for craft fairs and farmers markets across Essex. For more information you can visit their website at http://www.homefayrelimited.co.uk/

Priors Hall Farm

Priors Hall Farm is a local supplier of pork and has rapidly grown into quite a successful business for the Menhinick family. Located in Dunmow, Essex, they have built up quite a reputation and currently supply 30 pubs, 32 shops, 31 schools and 14 farmer's markets with their meat products.

By rearing pedigree pigs to the highest welfare standards, the family are able to achieve their aim of selling quality local produce to local people. They even grow their own pig feed on their farm, milling wheat and barley for the pigs to eat.

Some of the products from Priors Hall Farm include 100% natural hand-made pork sausages which contain over 80% meat, cured and lightly smoked bacon, as well as slow-cooked gammon legs which are made into high-quality ham.

These products can be bought from their farm shop which is open 6 days a week and more information can be found on their website at http://www.priorshallfarm.co.uk/

Colchester Oyster Fishery

Colchester Oyster Fishery was established in 1964 and is one of the United Kingdom's leading suppliers of fresh shellfish. It is based on Mersea Island, a small island 8 miles south of Colchester and at this location the company grows and stores it's shellfish.

The Fishery contains a state-of-the-art oyster purification system which purifies the oysters for 42 hours to ensure they are in perfect condition and they are proud of the fact that the products they supply are not only 100% fresh and high in natural minerals and nutrients, but are also free from any additives and preservatives.

Some of the products offered by the Colchester Oyster Fishery include both native and rock oysters, crabs, lobsters and scallops. Customers can also order hampers for either two, four or six people should they wish. These hampers contain a variety of seafood from the Fishery, as well as a bottle of wine, glasses, cutlery and the all-important oyster shucking knife for preparing the oysters.

Such is the reputation of the Colchester Oyster Fishery that their customer base includes some of the finest London restaurants and hotels including La Gavroche, The Ritz and Gordon Ramsay's restaurants.

You can order their products or find out more information through their website at http://www.colchesteroysterfishery.com/

Hadley's Dairy Products

Farmer Bill's and Hadley's ice cream is produced from a small farm located in the village of Colne Engaine, between Colchester and Braintree. Using fresh milk and cream from an award-winning herd of Holstein Friesian cows, the dairy produces unrivalled local ice cream.

The ice cream is completely hand-made and uses the best and freshest local fruits. Since the ice cream is hand-made, a lot of time and effort goes into producing it with demand sometimes outweighing supply!

As well as being locally-sourced, the ingredients in Farmer Bill's and Hadley's ice creams are also 100% natural, using no emulsifiers or stabilizers.

The dairy produces a whole range of flavoured ice creams and sorbets which are usually available at farm shops, delicatessens and also from the ice cream shop at the Colne Engaine farm itself.

For more information on Farmer Bill's and Hadley's award-winning ice creams you can view their website at http://www.hadleysdairy.co.uk/

Carter's Vineyard

Carter's Vineyards are 40 acres of vines, meadows, lakes and woodlands set in the rural Essex village of Boxsted. They offer an extensive range of wines and are proud to represent the Colchester district and East Anglia in general.

The vineyard is owned by Bunting and Sons, a family business established in 1820 which spans seven generations of the Bunting family. Ben Bunting currently heads a small team of people who run the vineyard.

Between Easter Monday and the end of October, the vineyard opens its gates to visitors. On the visit you can walk the vineyard trail through the vines. You also have the chance to taste the various wines and purchase any wines you like from their winery.

Carter's Vineyard have won various awards for their wines, with their King Coel 2003 vintage winning East Anglian Wine of the Year in 2006. As well as visiting the vineyard, you can also purchase their wines through their website at http://www.cartersvineyards.co.uk/

W&H Marriages & Sons Ltd.

W&H Marriages & Sons are long established family flour millers based in Chelmsford, Essex. The company has been producing flour since 1824, running for nearly two centuries and through five generations of the Marriage family.

They offer a whole variety of products with a range that extends from bread and culinary flours through to organic and speciality flours and they combine the use of modern machinery and automated roller milling with traditional techniques in order to create this variety.

One such example of this is Marriage's stoneground wholemeal flour, which is still produced in the traditional (and much slower) way of using horizontal French Burr stones from Northern France to grind the wheat.

Marriage's only select the finest wheat from local farmers and this ensures the highest quality in their products.

For more information you can click to go to their website at http://www.marriagesmillers.co.uk/