Category: Background Story

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WIN COFFEE GROUNDS FOR A YEAR

Unorthodox Roasters, Kinross, image of barrista

Win coffee: delivered to your door for a year!

Would you like to wake up and smell the coffee not once, not twice but monthly for a whole year? Join Printslinger’s mailing list from 11th – 18th December 2023 for your chance to win one pouch of coffee grounds per month for a whole year (Jan-Dec 2024) from Scotland’s inimitable Unorthodox Roasters. This is an excellent treat-to-self or we can provide a lovely virtual voucher so you can give this as a gift this Christmas. How to win friends and caffeinate people…

To enter, join our coffee-fuelled newsletter community here. Find out more about Unorthodox Roasters of Kinross (and this offer’s Ts and Cs), below.  

Subscribe to enter

Unorthodox Roasters in The Extra Mile​

Unorthodox Roasters joined The Extra Mile for our new 2023 edition. One of their founders and chief roasters, Chris, is so happy with being in our guidebook that he’s made an over-the-top-generous offer to supply one of you with free coffee for a year. This is excellent news and we’re going to pretend that we don’t work here so that we can enter ourselves: sssh, don’t tell him.

Interior of Unorthodox Roasters

This is what our 2023 café guide ,The Extra Mile (an online ‘Bestseller’ and ‘Most Gifted’ in its category) has to say about Unorthodox Roasters. 

Everything about Unorthodox Roasters is just that: unorthodox. Their beans are roasted and named with humour; each chat with the friendly baristas spirals off in an entertaining direction; and their flavours are punchy and bold.

Chris and Neil started roasting beans at home while saving up to launch their first place. Their Kinross roastery and café is fun, with bronze and bare bulbs against blue and white walls. You’ll be greeted by a V60 brew bar and manual espresso machine: every stage of the process has gravitas here (though it’s all served without pretension and with a smile). Grab and go or settle in for brunch or some home-baking with your expertly crafted drink.

Their best-selling beans are the single origin Wee Stoater, with notes of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel. Other treats include beetroot hot choc; experimental lattes (‘Chai Harder’), and an ethical tea range. Browse the coffee-lovers’ kits and take some pouches of beans to enjoy at home.

If you like who we feature and how we phrase things, why not check the guide out for yourself? It makes a great gift for anyone who drives a lot and likes to eat well. You can buy it at many of the venues featured in the book (such as Unorthodox Roasters if you’re passing) or you can order direct from us here. Get in quick if it’s meant as a gift for 2024. 

Like Unorthodox Roasters on Facebook here. 
Follow Unorthodox Roasters on Instagram.
Buy their Single Origin coffee for delivery.                 

Draw Terms and Conditions

  • One entry per person.
  • One name will be chosen at random from those who sign up to join our Mailing List between 11th and 18th December 2023 to win this prize. 
  • First name, last name and a correct email address must be included in order to be entered into the draw. 
  • The winner will be contacted via email on 19th Dec. Two attempts at contact will be made within 14 days. If no response with the further information required is received by the original winner within 14 days of the second attempt, we reserve the right to redraw and to contact another person, drawn at random, to receive this coffee subscription. The original winner will forfeit their right to this prize and no alternative prize will be available or offered. 
  • The winner will allow for the prize, or the first instalment thereof, to be delivered by end January 2024.
  • The winner must provide Printslinger Ltd. with their full name and postal address, to be passed on to Unorthodox Roasters, for them to correctly deliver the coffee.
  • Unorthodox Roasters will supply the coffee(s) of their choice which will depend on availability and other factors. 
  • Unorthodox Roasters reserve the right to deliver the total weight of coffee in larger packages (i.e. 500g+) if agreed with the winner, to reduce packaging. 
  • This competition is only open to mainland UK-based entrants. 
  • The prize, of 12 x 250g coffee pouches (or the equivalent weight in different weight pouches), includes free delivery to one mainland UK address. A postal surcharge may apply to some Highlands, Islands and other non-standard UK addresses. 
  • The winner’s first name, last name and town/ city of residence, for example Kerry O’Neill from Bristol, may be used across our online and offline channels to publicise the competition once finished.
  • Further opportunities for the winner to participate in Social Media promotion following their win may be offered; participation is totally optional. 
  • This competition is being run by Printslinger Ltd., with a prize provided by Unorthodox Roasters.
  • With any questions, please contact The Extra Mile via email. 
  • Printslinger Ltd accepts no liability for any damage, loss, injury, or disappointment suffered by any entrants as a result of participating in the competition or being selected for a prize.
  • You agree that any personal information that you provide when entering the competition will be used by Printslinger Ltd for the purposes of administering the competition and for the other purposes as specified in our Privacy Policy.
  • Printslinger Ltd reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to cancel the competition or amend these terms and conditions.

Buy The Extra Mile guide today

Visit The Extra Mile Guide’s online shop to buy your own edition of the guide today (or buy a few to give away – it makes a great gift for your foodie friends). 

The Extra Mile edition 4 cover
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WHY LOCAL FOOD MATTERS

Garden-fresh seasonal vegetables

At the Extra Mile, we’re firm proponents of local food. We crow about it at every opportunity. You’ll see it plastered throughout the book. But why?  

Industrial scale farming and huge supermarket supply chains have served us well in feeding the growing population, but it has come at a cost. The quest for cheaper food has meant the increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, energy, land and water. As a result, our global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss and a major driver of climate change, accounting for around 30% of total human-produced emissions.  

Local food is the antithesis of this form of production. It’s produce grown within a short distance of where it’s consumed (although there’s no formal legal definition). Here are some of the benefits. 

Salad heads growing in raised beds

Buying locally grown food encourages small scale, nature-sensitive farming… 

…and shifts away from harmful industrial monocropping. The impact on bees is just one well-documented example of the harm monocropping can wreak on nature. By contrast, farming in harmony with the local microclimate can have a restorative effect on the soils and wildlife.  

Smaller scale local food production - allotments from above

It supports local farming businesses and gives back to the community 

Money spent with growers and neighbouring cafes and restaurants keeps money close to home, instead of going to faceless national businesses. That develops agriculture and hospitality in the area and keeps communities and economies thriving. The New Economics Foundation estimated that for every £1 spent in the local food network, £3.70 is generated in social, economic and environmental value. Food festivals (such as the eatFestival shown in the two images below) are a great way to discover some of your very local producers. 

(c) eat:Festivals. People browsing local food stall at an eat:festival

It has lower food miles  

In the UK we import around half of our food. Buying local means crops don’t have far to go once they’ve been harvested. Without the need to drive crops long distances between where they’re grown and consumed, the carbon footprint shrinks, reducing the impact of your lunch. 

Woman trading at the EAT Festival holding a wrap

It’s tastier and more nutritious 

Crops can only be grown in accordance with the prevailing weather, which means local food is largely seasonal. Produce that ripens or matures naturally is served fresh, which means it’s tastier and more nutritious than food that is picked early (or out of season) and ripened artificially on its journey to shops.  

If shopping locally, choosing food that hasn’t travelled far, and supporting smaller-scale and often independent food businesses is what gets you out of bed of a morning, dip into The Extra Mile. The guidebook is packed with small local cafés and offers viable alternatives to monotonous, motorway service station food, and disappointing forecourt food. Browse our Venue Finder here or buy the most up-to-date version of the guidebook for your own glovebox or that of a friend today at The Extra Mile’s online bookshop. 

Bowl of freshly-picked tomatoes
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MEET THE OWNERS: WRIGHT’S FOOD

Simon Wright and Maryann (c) Wrights Food Emporium

We asked Simon and Maryann at the wonderfully named Wright’s Food Emporium (find them here on The Extra Mile venue finder), to tell us where the idea for their business came from, and what keeps them going. Here’s what they said…

“Wright’s came from an idea to open a ‘village’ shop with a small cafe serving good coffee, sandwiches, cake. The name is our surname and Emporium seemed the right word: place of trade.  

We started in a different location but after a year this didn’t work out and we were a bit stumped about where to go next. We came to look at the building in Llanarthne which was huge, filthy and very dilapidated but did have some lovely features like the floors and windows. We saw the potential and, with the help of a few good friends, were able to get the funding together to buy it. It had a good feeling about it and having historically been a coaching inn, felt welcoming.

Freshly baked bread at Wright's Food Emporium

Some people thought we were crazy as it’s very rural but luckily it has worked out and become a destination of its own for many people. 

We wanted to use local produce as much as possible and cook as much as we could from scratch; bread first thing in the morning, cakes daily, soups, stews, pies and so on. We use local meat, vegetables and cheeses and try to keep everything seasonal.

Wright's Food Emporium fresh food display

I have been working in hospitality for the past 30 years running restaurants locally and coming from a family with an interest in food and farming. 

We use local suppliers for as much as possible and are happy to try anything new and local, luckily for us suppliers seek us out. During the pandemic rather than closing as was the norm we stayed open to supply our local customers and support our suppliers who were losing most of their markets and customers, creating a click-and-collect service which proved very popular. 

We use recyclable and compostable packaging as much as possible; we supply pies etc in enamel dishes which customers return for us to reuse; and we use a wood pellet boiler and stove for most of our heating and hot water needs.  

I enjoy working with our loyal staff and having such great customers, many of whom have followed us from business to business over the last 30 years. Hearing positive comments about our food, shop and ambience is very rewarding. 

Fresh vibrant veg at Wright's Food Emporium

Costs are rising at a frightening speed and increased energy costs are now hitting us so we fear that the next year is going to be very challenging . 

We take pride in being welcoming to all at Wright’s and are happy that our customers feel part of our business. You can call in just for a coffee or a loaf of bread or stay for hours chatting to friends and enjoying the hospitality. We only sell food we enjoy ourselves: wine and spirits from suppliers we admire; pottery and crafts from local makers as much as we can; homewares we find useful; and ingredients from Italy and Spain we can’t live without. We are happy to stop for a chat and give advice when required on food or anything else we can help with .

Ideal road trip? Driving through a rural area of Wales, Scotland or France, as we did in September up in the mountains of the Ardêche. It was so beautiful, quiet and peaceful. Time away is very precious when you are in the hospitality trade. 

My ideal car snack is definitely a packet of crisps, ideally olive oil and salted !”

Simon Wright and Maryann (c) Wrights Food Emporium
Wright's branded tomato 'catsup' at Wright's Food Emporium, Wales

Thank you Simon and Maryann for sharing your Meet the Owners story with us here at The Extra Mile, we’re thrilled to feature your friendly stop-off point in our guide.

If you’re keen to support the hard-working foodie hubs that are at the heart of their local communities, use our Venue Finder to seek out great stops on your next trip or buy the most up-to-date edition of the guidebook here. The new edition will be out in spring 2023, and we can’t wait to see Wright’s in amongst our fabulously foodie pages. 

Produce at Wright's Food Emporium
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CATCH THE UK’S BEST AUTUMN COLOURS

Woman enjoying falling autumn leaves

Are you a leaf peeper?

Europe is beginning to catch on to the North American hobby of leaf peeping, a term used to describe trips dedicated to the seeking out of blazing autumnal colours. The Japanese call it momijigari which means maple viewing, more specifically, but the quest for colourful leaves is the same. Who hasn’t gaped in wonder at the golds and russet reds of the UK’s woodlands as the seasons change? What better reason for an autumnal exploration? Here are some of the UK’s best leaf peeping spots. 

An autumnal picture of Gibside, National Trust

Gibside, Tyne and Wear Designed for its stunning views and now a National Trust property, Gibside (pictured above), at the edge of the Derwent Valley near Gateshead, is heaven for leaf chasers with 720-acres of beckoning woodland. Download one of four walking routes through the landscaped parkland to maximise your stop. (Image (c) National Trust)

Wintour’s Leap, Gloucestershire

Enjoy the sylvan colours of the Forest of Dean blazing around the horse-shoe sweep of the river Wye from the unique vantage point of Wintour’s Leap, just to the north of Chepstow (pictured below). It’s also a popular climbing spot, if any adventurers have their ropes and harness in the boot. Visit Dean Wye has lots of great ideas for activities in and around the region. (Image (c) Visit Dean Wye.)

Wintour's Leap image (c) Visit Dean Wye https://www.visitdeanwye.co.uk/

Llanwrst, Wales
Is there a more iconic image of autumn in Wales than the Tu Hwnt I’r Bont tea room (pictured below)? We don’t think so. Make this Virginia-creeper clad cottage part of your autumn road trip to see it in its full, fiery glory.

(Image (c) Tu Hwnt I’r Bont.)  

 
Tu Hwnt i’r Bont in Llanrwst

Glen Affric, Scotland

Sometimes touted as Scotland’s most beautiful glen (though it’s a hard-fought crown), Glen Affric’s woodland and moorland come alive in autumn as the leaves change colour. With a 10-mile circular walking circuit, prepare to enjoy them from every angle.

(Image (c) Visit Scotland.)

Stourhead, Wiltshire
Famous for its spectacular hues in autumn, the National Trust’s Stourhead property is decadent in its autumn splendour (pictured below). Enjoy this quintessential view across the lake towards the Pantheon to see the colours in reflected glory.
(Image (c) National Trust)

Stourhead, image courtesy The National Trust

The Extra Mile glovebox guidebook brims with excellent eating choices, designed to take motorists just off the main roads and into the lovely communities and locally run foodie businesses hidden around each corner. This autumn, escape the monotony of the Services and the bland forecourt food at A road garages around the country. Use The Extra Mile book or online map to eat more memorably. To buy a copy for yourself, or as a gift for a favourite, frequent-travelling friend, visit our online shop today.

The Extra Mile from Glovebox Guides (ed. 3)
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IT’S A HARD JOB, BUT…

Image of Farm Shop sign

Laura Collacott, writer of the first three editions of The Extra Mile, is back on the road in June 2022. She’ll be making a cameo appearance in the new edition of the book (due out in spring 2023), as she’s seeking out memorable new venues in the North East for the fourth edition of our essential glovebox guide to good food on the move. Laura found a moment to reveal the reality of life on the road. It’s a hard job, but somebody’s got to do it after all…

View of the North York Moors
Laura’s view over the North York Moors this week

“Ah, the joy of being a food writer. We know what you’re thinking. Meandering from café to farm shop, chatting idly to the good people behind them, languorously tucking in to gargantuan sandwiches, feasting on slabs of cake and scratching farm pigs behind the ear. Gently fattening.  

If only.  

In truth, finding the good cakes and best breakfasts involves a lot more legwork. It starts with poring over maps and trawling the internet for places that look promising, followed by long days on the road zipping from place to place and diverting to follow tip-offs from locals or the glimpse of a promising signboard. Many of the places we visit don’t make the cut for various reasons – too greasy, too bland, too unfriendly; simply not special enough.  

But for those that are – special enough – those that we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to a friend, we set to work. We speak to the owners to find out why they set it up, and their food ethos; to staff to find out how it runs and where the ingredients come from. We talk to customers to find out what they like best about the place and what their favourite dishes are. We explore the shelves and inspect the menu, tasting mouthfuls where we can and taking extensive notes. Then we’re off again, on the hunt for the next. 

Far from eating cream teas in every stop (we’d be the size of houses if we did), this is a life of hastily eaten pastries and scotch eggs on the hoof. A life of broken snatches of Radio Four shows and disgraceful crumb- and paper-strewn cars.  

Sometimes there are long, dispiriting stretches where nowhere fits the bill. But when you do stumble across a fantastic place, where the welcome is all wide smiles and the owners are foodies who can name the farmers who supply the eggs and salad leaves…it makes the empty miles melt away. 

And then there are the views. The sweeping, moorland vistas or emerald hilltops that you just can’t see from the motorway. The countryside traffic jams caused by a string of ducklings crossing the road and the little-known towns that surprise you with their vibrance. That’s when we’re sure it really is worth going the extra mile.”  

Order The Extra Mile book now

The updated third edition of The Extra Mile is being prepared for print now and will be back in the shops around mid to late July 2022. We’re updating everyone’s opening hours so that you don’t turn up for a slap up feed when a cafe is closed, and we’ve removed those places that are no longer open. Order from our Shop today and your book will arrive and may even still be hot – or at the very least a little bit lukewarm – off the actual press. If you order it elsewhere online, it will likely be people’s older stock of the 2019 edition so our top tip to ensure you get the 2022 reprint with up-to-date intel is, buy directly from us.

NEW edition coming in 2023

Laura and our other similarly discerning roving reporters are on the road in 2022, seeking out more great finds to feature in the fourth, spring 2023 edition of the book. Subscribe to our newsletter (scroll down the homepage to enter your email) and keep an eye on our social media channels for news of its release. Don’t forget to let us know if you discover any terrific eateries while on your travels this year. We’d love to feature their local characters and flavours in our new collection of independent cafes, pubs, restaurants, farm shops, ice-cream parlours and attractions across the land.