Hodmedod

PRODUCER: Hodmedod, Suffolk
PRODUCT: Organic Quinoa
REGION: Eastern England
CATEGORY: From the Earth (Primary)

WHAT THEY DO

Nick Saltmarsh, William Hudson and Josiah Meldrum bought a tonne of split fava beans, packed them at the kitchen table and distributed them through the community as part of the Norwich Resilient Food Project, an initiative designed to investigate sustainable food in the city. They were amazed at the response.

Hodmedod (‘hodmedod’ is a local word for hedgehog) was founded in 2012 as a result, with the aim of encouraging production of vegetable proteins such as pulses in the UK to provide a sustainable and nutritious alternative to energy-intensive foods such as meat and dairy. 

Hodmedod works with a number of farmers across Eastern England, and counts traditional carlin peas, marrowfats, blue and yellow peas and red haricots and large white gog magog beans among their products. The company offers farmers the opportunity to grow and sell unusual crops in the UK, “effectively ‘de-commodifying’ otherwise anonymous globally traded foods”. This year the team are also beginning farming their own two acres of organic land to grow barley, bean and lentil varieties. 

Working in partnership with Essex farmer Peter Fairs, Hodmedod introduced quinoa in 2014, with a 100 per cent organic quinoa from Suffolk being added this year. The company hopes to build more direct relationships with farmers to “help create more diverse farm systems and healthier diets”.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

The Eastern England judging panel loved Hodmedod’s products, and felt its quinoa was a great example of how to go about trialling new food trends by working with local farmers.

VISIT THE WEBSITE:  hodmedods.co.uk