FORGET about food miles. A large proportion of the food at The Wheatsheaf Inn in Braishfield has travelled just feet to reach your plate.
Landlords Jenny and Peter Jones, who have been running the popular pub for seven years are so passionate about using local food that they produce a lot of it themselves.
In fact between 30 and 45 per cent of the menu is food they have grown or reared, including all their pork.
Some three years ago they went on holiday to Italy to research truffles and found themselves in a restaurant eating pork like they had never tasted before.
A chat with the owners revealed that they reared their own animals in their back garden. Jenny and Peter were so impressed with the meat that they decided to do the same.
After taking a course in farming rare breeds they bought four pigs.
They now have 40 as well as rescue battery chickens, ducks and quails which they keep for their eggs, a very productive herb garden and an impressive vegetable and soft fruit patch.
They supplement their own produce with buying local wherever they can, such as herbs from the Kitchen Garden Company, Pratt’s rapeseed oil, vegetables from Sunnyfields Farm and lamb and mozzarella from Laverstoke Park, only going outside the area when necessary.
Ninety-five per cent of their food is from within the UK.