Provenance has also developed a new website for SD Scene. Sitting within the Sustainable Development Programme website, the dynamic SD Scene section allows frequent updates and user comment and discussion.

A monthly e-newsletter rounds up the highlights of each month’s updates on SD Scene. Featured in the first issue of the relaunched newsletter are an interview with Will Day, Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, and news stories on the International Year of Biodiversity, the government’s Food 2030 strategy, a recent study on education and sustainable development, and much more.

Nick Saltmarsh of Provenance is acting as external editor of SD Scene over the coming months. Why not subscribe and keep up to date on developments in sustainable development?

I make all my preserves by hand in Pulham Market, Norfolk, following family recipes, creating new recipes and using the finest own-grown, wild and local produce. My latest seasonal speciality is a tart crab apple and chilli jelly, made with a bumper harvest of garden crab apples and Apache chillies from my mother’s greenhouse; it is fantastic with roast beef.

Janet Peachey’s handmade preserves have until now only been available through selected markets and shops in Norfolk and Suffolk. Now Provenance has launched a website and online shop for Peachey’s Preserves offering the year-round range for delivery across the UK.

Like many local producers, Peachey’s Preserves works with a network of local growers, brewers and others, to produce superb and locally distinctive foods. The apple, cider and sage jelly is made with garden sage and Aspall’s cyder from Debenham in Suffolk; apricot and Norfolk Ale chutney uses Norfolk Nectar Ale from the Humpty Dumpty Brewery at Reedham; date and Chestnut Ale chutney draws rich flavours from the ale of Alburgh’s Grain Brewery.

The Peachey’s Preserves website also lists local outlets and special events, such as Gressenhall’s Apple Day celebration on 25th October, along with details of seasonal products and recipe suggestions. Even the recipes have a local emphasis, such as the irresistible baked gammon with apricot and Norfolk Ale chutney, recommending gammon from Cannells butchers in Diss.

Find out more about Provenance’s web services…

We’re all too aware that many independent farmers, food producers, retailers and caterers often fail to adequately communicate their excellent work and the superb food they produce or provide. Small businesses may be too focused on their day-to-day business, too occupied with their primary occupation of producing and supplying good food, or simply feel that the cost of communication services is unjustified.

Why are so many food producers not using the web to communicate?

A good website is an essential tool for communicating with existing and potential customers, yet many food businesses still don’t have one.

Price is often an obstacle: quotes for development of even the most basic websites can be very high, often because of design and technology that goes beyond the requirements of a small business. The range of services on offer can also be confusing: setting up a website involves domain name registration, website design and hosting even before extras such as a statistics service are considered. Another obstacle is lack of control over the resulting website: businesses can be locked into a relationship with their web designer where every subsequent change comes at a cost.

A complete, affordable and straightforward web package for food businesses

This is why Provenance is excited to be launching a complete web service aimed at the requirements of independent food businesses, providing all the elements of an effective online presence in a single affordable package, from just £300 for set-up and the first year of service.

How can we do this?

We use open-source software to keep implementation costs to a minimum; we provide access to a wide range of existing templates to avoid costly web design; we don’t charge extra for freely available services such as website statistics or submission of a website’s details to Google.

This is exactly the same approach we take to providing our own website and others we’re involved in, like The Tracing Paper. We believe that we’re able to offer a service that is easy to use, affordable and still professional.

We hope that this will help get more independent food businesses online and raise awareness of their good work and the food they produce.

Read more about our web services…