02 - Settle Coop

August 11, 2023

"Please can you tell me three local products that you sell in your shop."

This is the question I am asking the shop keepers, or searching for my self in the shops of Settle.

Settle has two supermarkets, (The Coop and Booths) plus the Garage (also Coop) plus a small Premier convenience store on the corner of the Market Place.

The "localest" things I could find in August were:

1. ARLA "Lacto-Free" Milk from ARLA Settle Creamery - 1 mile away.

2. Hughes Family Bakers - Products - from Shipley 30 Miles away

The Coop does have some other good points which I describe lower down

The brand "Cravendale" milk bottled by ARLA I discover is bottled at Stourton Leeds.

It says on the plastic bottle
"All our cows have access to grazing, as often as weather conditions allow and provided it will not compromise their health or welfare."

Last week I went on a group visit to a local dairy farmer, John Dawson at Bleak Bank Farm, Clapham

One of the participants looking at the calves

I asked him how we could buy the products from his farm. He says he sells his milk to ARLA. The only thing I can do it seems is to buy ARLA Cravendale milk.

ARLA have a good page "How to eat more sustainably"

His beef cattle go to market at Bentham and are bought by dealers. Most of the sheep will be sold for breeding by lowland farmers or for fattening by lowland farmers.

We are looking forward to John giving a talk at the "Let's talk Local Afternoon" at Settle Methodist Church on Sunday 17 September.

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Many of us in Settle rely on the Coop for basic food - but because it is centrally organised and they buy in quantity it is hard to get local products.

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To give the Coop credit, although their goods are not very local, they do have

a - An excellent notice board at last - and allow us to extend our notices beyond the main notice board - Thank you. Thank you. Much appreciated.