East England
Did you know?
In the East of England, 685 farmers supply us with meat, poultry and eggs, including 499 pig farmers.
Greene King Brewing Company
Greene King brews all of its beers in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk where ale has been a feature of local life since as far back as 1086.
It takes just four simple, wholesome, natural ingredients – barley, water, yeast and hops for Greene King to brew a delicious, thirst-quenching pint of beer. The age-old secret of Greene King’s success lies in the master brewer’s skill to create the perfect recipe. Basic ingredients can be turned into some of the best ales – each with its own individual flavour, aroma, colour and characteristics.
On our shelves in selected stores you’ll find Old Speckled Hen, the UK’s number one premium ale, Abbot Ale, Ruddles, Hop and Greene King IPA, which was recently crowned East of England’s favourite cask beer in the first ever Best of British Beer Awards. Ruddles Rhubarb is the latest unique brew to exclusively hit our shelves after scooping a top award in the Tesco Beer Challenge.
Chris Tirrell
UK-grown raspberries are on our shelves for eight months of the year thanks to the revolutionary technology developed by grower Chris Tirrell.
Using a computer in his glasshouse to replicate perfect growing conditions, Chris was able to supply us with raspberries from April through to Christmas last year. This year, he's delivering us some 240 tonnes of the fruit.
It's a far cry from 2001 when, together with four or five students, Chris picked three tonnes. After four decades of growing tomatoes, he had decided to experiment with growing raspberries.
Now growing only raspberries, he employs 220 people at his site in Oakington, near Cambridge, to pick and pack the soft fruit for us seven days a week.
Chris adds: "While the computer technology is state-of-the-art, many of our methods are more basic. We introduce insects and bugs into the glasshouse to control pests the natural way."
Cornerways Nursery
Cornerways Nursery grows more than 34 million tomatoes annually, each picked by hand and delivered to our stores across East Anglia. The 12.5 acre glasshouses, near Downham Market, Norfolk, enable us to offer you locally-grown UK fruit from February through to November.
The nursery makes the most of its situation next to the giant Wissington Sugar Factory. Carbon dioxide generated by the factory is sent to the nursery instead of being released into the atmosphere. Tomato plants trap the carbon dioxide they need, and in doing so, ensure the sugar process is one of the most energy efficient in the European Union.
Warm water from the sugar process is piped to the glasshouses through a network of over 71 miles of heating pipes. Steam needed to crystallise the sugar drives a turbine to supply electricity to Cornerways.
The company's Nigel Bartle said: "We've worked closely with Tesco over the past five years to ensure local tomatoes are sold in East Anglian stores. To make it even easier for customers to buy local, the packaging was redesigned this year to clearly show that ours are Norfolk tomatoes."
St Peter's Brewery
St. Peter's Brewery is based in a half-moated medieval hall in a remote and beautiful corner of rural north Suffolk. All the water for brewing is drawn from a pure source 100 meters below the surface. Locally grown malted barley is used in St. Peter's beers and, following fermentation and conditioning, the beers are packed in the bottling hall. The brewery is the recipient of many awards for it's' products.
Two beers from the St. Peter's range (Ruby Red Ale & Golden Ale) are available in selected stores in East Anglia.
Batemans Brewery
In 1874, George Bateman, grandfather of the present Chairman, sold his farm in Friskney and rented a small brewery in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire. In 1880 he bought a house about two hundred yards away from the original brewery – Salem House.
In 1894 George and Suzanna's son Harry, went into the brewery and took over the business in 1921. Harry's eldest son George joined the brewery in 1950 and took over the reins of the Company in 1970. Today they are still an independent, family owned brewery, son Stuart, is Managing Director and daughter, Jaclyn, is Marketing Director. Batemans brew beer the traditional way and is proud of its Lincolnshire heritage.
One beer from the Batemans Brewery range, Triple XB (XXXB), is available in selected stores in East Anglia. Triple XB (XXXB) is a superb strong bitter (ABV 4.8%) with a complex palate, consisting of a delicate aroma of hops delightfully balanced by a prominent malty character. And five times winner of CAMRA's Premium Beer of the Year.
Fairfields Farm
Fairfields Farm has been growing potatoes for 3 generations in Colchester, Essex. In 2006 husband and wife Robert and Laura Strathern began using their potatoes to make specialist gourmet hand fried potato crisps. The link with other specialist producers in East Anglia was very important in order to make sure the flavours used for the crisps had provenance to East Anglia. Therefore, Fairfields Farm has teamed up with Aspall Cyder Vinegar, Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses and The Chilli Company to ensure the flavours are unique, 100% natural and all from East Anglia. The potatoes are grown in the Colne Valley on the Essex / Suffolk border and are then hand selected for crisping before the potatoes are hand fired in small batches with their skins on in sunflower oil.
Four flavours (Lightly Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Aspall Cyder Vinegar, Sweet Chilli & Cheese & Chive) are available in selected stores in Essex & Suffolk.
Hadham Water
Hadham Water Ltd is an independent, privately owned business, which has been trading for over 16 years. Hadham is sourced in the heart of the Ash Valley and purified by 500ft of chalk, giving the water a crisp, clean taste. The water is pure at the point of abstraction and is naturally high in calcium and low in sodium; excellent for low salt diets and as an aid to strong teeth and bones.
Hadham Water has been supplying Tesco for 9 years and is available in selected stores in East Anglia.
New Home Farm / Boxford (Suffolk) Farms Ltd.
New Home Farm and Boxford (Suffolk) Farms have been growing strawberries and raspberries on the Suffolk and Essex border for Tesco since 1990. The business itself, which is family owned and run, started trading in 1938 and over the years has been involved in arable farming, fruit and vegetable growing and livestock rearing, as well as the production of freshly pressed fruit juices.
Founder Devora Peake, and her husband Bill, were the driving forces behind the business for nearly sixty years. Four of Devora's children and two grandchildren are actively involved in running the business today.
New Home Farm is sited in the very good soil area of Ardleigh, Essex and is perfectly suited to soft fruit growing. State-of-the-art irrigation from their own water storage reservoir minimises water use and wastage.
Production of strawberries starts in May and continues on through to November. This extended season is made possible in our climate by utilising new varieties such as Christine (early production), Malling Opal and the 'Finest' variety, Jubilee (late season), as well as the favourite consumer variety Elsanta. Christine and other new varieties also have the added advantage of being naturally disease resistant, reducing the need for some fungicides.
Raspberries are first harvested in late May with early 'Glen Ample' and finish with the autumn-bearing 'Polka'. 'Tulameen' (Finest) and 'Octavia' are also grown on the farm.
Hillfarm Oils
The Fairs family have been farming in Heveningham for over 40 years. They grow wheat, rapeseed, vining peas and borage and have recently launched the first Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil in the UK. The oil is a low saturated fat oil with naturally occurring Omega 3 and is also rich in vitamin E and can be used as an alternative to olive oil for everyday cooking.
The oil is made from the rapeseed grown on the farm. The family is involved with a number of environmental projects such as a biodiversity project looking at farmland birds and how to increase their numbers and a project to create a great crested newt breeding site. They are continuously developing and changing their farming practises to improve and look after the land they use.
Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is available in selected stores in East Anglia.