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The Great British Vacation: Where We Source Our Sustainable Produce From

We are what we eat and what we eat shapes the world we live in. With more and more people becoming invested in living sustainable lives, companies and brands have a growing responsibility to help them achieve that. 

English Cottage Vacation plays its part in making sure our guests’ vacations are fun, luxurious and sustainable by offering exciting packages with the finest of everything Britain has to offer. This included sourcing sustainable produce and other products for the delicious meals and refreshing drinks we serve. 

In addition to sourcing everything locally to reduce our carbon footprint, buying everything from brands we know and trust, allows us to give you the authentic Dorset experience and there’s nothing quite like it. Read on to learn about some of our sources of the Dorset goodness woven into our luxury vacation experience. 

The Real Cure

Meat-lovers will adore our meaty dishes made from artisanal British cured meats by The Real Cure. The brand offers several meat products including salami, air-dried hams and chorizo, made through curing, smoking and air drying. 

The traditional processes used to create this meat not only ensure great taste in all its products but also make a process that’s normally energy-intensive more sustainable so you can rest assured that your meal was made with little impact on the environment. 

The Udder Farm Shop & Restaurant

Family-run and filled with lots of yummy goodness, The Udder Farm Shop & Restaurant is dedicated to changing the way we shop and eat into an enjoyable, healthy experience. 

The shop is our trusted source for all farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and home-reared meat from Dorset and other counties nearby. Due to the shop’s involvement in the process from pasture to plate, we get the best products that are made as sustainably as possible. Plus, it enables the store to offer expert advice on the products provided so that we get the best starting ingredients to create amazing dishes for you back at our cottage.  

Shaftesbury Wines

A meal is rarely ever complete without a good drink to wash it down. If you love wine, we offer a great selection from our collection and Nathan is always on hand to serve you your favourite or help you pick something new that you’re sure to love. 

Our extensive list is sourced from several stores, including Shaftesbury Wines with a range of quality wines of all tastes, colours, and types. One of the unique things we love about this store is how it champions individual producers who pour their hearts into every bottle of wine they make. It’s this same passion that you’ll feel when you drink a glass of their fine wine or other drinks like beers, ciders, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks with a delectable gourmet meal that Laura prepares for you in her bevloved kitchen.

Gritchie Brew

What could be more refreshing than an ice-cold beer? Gritchie Brew provides beer that’s brewed to perfection from natural ingredients of water, grains, hops and yeast. The brewing process involves traditional floor malting instead of the less sustainable mechanised industrial processes, so you not only get a better taste of the beer but also rest in the comfort of knowing it was made in an environmentally friendly way. 

The brand’s collection of casks and kegs offers variations of the amazing flavour Gritchie Brew is known for. These beers go great with savoury meals like chicken and hamburgers you and your family or friends can enjoy out in our garden with the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair.

Shroton Fair Gin

Shroton Fair Gin is a brand with a historic start that begins with a fair. Its signature gin pays homage to the Shroton Fair where the story of the exhibition of a real royal bengal tiger in 1767 inspired its creation. And one of the best things about this is that the brand is essentially a piece of Dorset history. 

The brand combines only the most luxurious ingredients to make a beautifully crafted gin that rolls smoothly on the tongue, caressing it with a burst of rich flavours that lingers long after you take a sip. 

Conker Distillery

Another great gin source is Conker Distillery – home of the refreshing Dorset Dry Gin. The drink combines elderberries, hand-picked gorse flowers and other botanicals that perfectly express Dorset in all its bright and refreshing glory.  

By using natural ingredients, some of which are found right across the Jurassic Coast, this popular drink embodies the natural beauty of the area, giving you Dorset in a bottle. There are many other drinks from the brand, each offering a refreshing take on the beloved G&T.

Using locally-sourced products as part of the elements that make up our luxury vacation is a huge part of what makes it all such an authentic Dorset experience. We take the time to carefully select brands like these that are making efforts to take care of the world we live in because we know how important that is to you. So you can enjoy being taken care of by us knowing that we’re taking care of the world around you too. Book your next luxury vacation with English Cottage Vacation and let us show you how we care about you and your world.