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In 1949, four years after the end of the Second World War, Britain resolved that it would never again be at the mercy of naval blockades and farming and the need for greater agricultural efficiency became a national priority.
Aga joined the battle to convince Britons that good food produced locally was vitally important. Working with its advertising agency, Aga Heat Ltd embarked on an ambitious project that was to provide a fascinating insight into rural British life.
For eight weeks a team of photographers and writers made an 8,000-mile tour around the British Isles with the brief to “record a change…which we believe is as much of a landmark in the development of British agriculture as the coming of the tractor, the combine harvester or the farmhouse telephone”.
The change, specifically, was the arrival of the Aga as an indispensable tool of the working farm at a time when the farm itself was viewed as a newly important aspect of British life. More generally, the journalistic team was instructed to record “the new difficulties that have arisen for the farmer’s wife and her own particular forms, if not of mechanisation at least of re-equipment”.
The introduction to the resulting pamphlet – Farming Families – provides a captivating insight into rural life as the 1950s beckoned. “Today, homes which were built to be run by many pairs of hands have to be run by a few; often by the mistress of the house alone. In these new and more difficult conditions, the importance of the task has become no less. It is, in its own way, essential maintenance – that of keeping the men of the house fit, fed and ready for work.”
Among those profiled in the pamphlet was farmer Philip Garrod, of Little Blakenham near Ipswich in Suffolk. He later recalled the day when Aga sent a photojournalist to capture images of life on the farm.
“He stayed here for a week. He stayed at the village pub because he was taking pictures of everything on the farm. He stayed at The Angel. He stayed here in the daytime, then went down the pub.
“We were growing cereals and sugar beet, peas and beans. The main thing what we had then was the sheep – because my father was alive then and he was a shepherd – was the sheep, you know, and we had to grow food for them you see. It was 283 acres then. We have 650 now.”
Then and now…
Today, six decades later, concerns about naval blockades of cargo ships bringing food into the UK have subsided, but food and farming are again back on the news agenda. This time, however, the issues are quality, provenance, animal welfare standards, food miles and, of course, price.
With supermarket and convenience store prices having risen by six per cent in July alone (source: Office of National Statistics) – the largest rise since March 1992 – many of us are again questioning what we buy and where it comes from and the role of local food producers is becoming ever more important. As more of us ask searching questions about food miles, provenance and quality, so the demand has increased for sympathetically grown food we can trace and trust.
The National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA) believes that farm shops, farmers’ markets, pick-your-own plots, box schemes and other means of selling direct by farmers are worth about £2bn to the UK economy. This, however, accounts for just 2% of the British grocery market. FARMA says 30% of us shop at farmers’ markets, but that 92% would do so if the opportunity were available to them locally.
It seems we don’t need convincing of the benefits of shopping locally and eating locally produced food – among them, improved nutrition, knowing the origin of the food you eat, reduced food miles, reduced packaging and helping the local economy.
That’s why, 60 years after Farming Families, Aga has decided to document again the role played by farmers, smallholders and artisan producers, this time turning the spotlight on those who buck the trend for the mass-produced by providing us with real food created with real passion.
Again, a photographer and writer have been charged with the task of recording how the best of British local food is produced and the project – which began by focussing on Norfolk – should again provide a fascinating insight into how the finest local food is produced and by whom.
Aga believes passionately in the importance of local food. According to a report by the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 86% of us believe Britain should be a farming nation, but only 18% of us buy local food. Aga wants to change this, which is why the company has launched its Local Life campaign.
The initiative – which will begin in September – will see producers invited into Aga stores throughout the country to talk about the efforts to which they go to ensure the very highest standards in their produce.
The events will be interactive and central will be tastings, so visitors will be able to sample produce. Usually, an Aga demonstrator will also be cooking, with the emphasis on inspiring people to use food grown or produced locally [see panel left/right/above/below]
The Local Life national campaign is designed to showcase the finest produce and, in some small way, say thank you to our local food heroes. The campaign will also underline the link between the world’s best food and the world’s best cooker…
For more information on the Local Life national campaign click here to visit the Aga Website.
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