| The New Forest or Nova Foresta as William the | | | | the local populace. Jude Dalton of New Forest |
| Conqueror called his new hunting ground has been | | | | Living holiday cottages encourages all their visitors |
| a brand name since 1079. Fast forward over nine | | | | to ‘buy and eat local’ and the Forest |
| hundred years and miraculously these 145 square | | | | Friendly market dates are included in their visitor |
| miles of un-spoilt English landscape have survived | | | | packs. Details of organic farm shops and New |
| more or less intact. | | | | Forest food products and crafts bearing the New |
| Who let the pigs out? | | | | Forest Marque® can all be found on a number |
| The ponies, cattle, pigs and donkeys that wander | | | | of sites online prior to your visit to the area. |
| throughout the forest perambulation are all | | | | ‘We encourage our guests to give Asda, |
| actually owned and run by commoners. Local folk, | | | | Tesco and the other big name supermarkets the |
| who are still practicing the privileges conceded so | | | | swerve for a week and try local forest produce |
| many centuries ago. The poor old peasant was | | | | instead. Most find it a lot more fun than trawling |
| not allowed to enclose any land to hinder the | | | | the aisles, no packaging to throw away, no guilt |
| chase of the Royal deer. To keep the locals from | | | | about air or road miles, and the big plus, you |
| starving, stock was permitted to be grazed on | | | | know where the food has come from, and you |
| the open ‘forest’. Interestingly, in the legal | | | | will probably be chatting to the person who |
| sense, visitors and local’s alike still have | | | | produced it. If you buy food products and crafts |
| access to the open Forest as a privilege rather | | | | bearing the New Forest Marque®, you will not |
| than a right. | | | | only be supporting the local economy and New |
| Remarkably, this system of pre medieval farming | | | | Forest producers, but also reducing the impact |
| is still operational today. New Forest commoners | | | | that food production has on the environment’. |
| do not stray very far from their natural habitat | | | | The survival of the New Forest commoner has a |
| and some families can trace their ancestry over | | | | huge cultural impact on the area, if they go out of |
| three centuries or more. It could be said that the | | | | business, the ponies and other stock go with |
| continuation of these ancient communing traditions | | | | them, then this unique form of extensive farming |
| have been largely responsible for the conservation | | | | that has taken place for over a thousand years |
| of the region, long before the ‘green | | | | would be lost forever. So when you are down |
| ‘buzz word came along and protecting the | | | | visiting or taking a holiday in the New Forest, |
| natural environment became an election | | | | support the rural community and thousands of |
| platform. | | | | years of heritage by doing your food shop from |
| Buy and eat local | | | | the forest farmyard, plus some extra supplies to |
| New Forest commoners and smallholders already | | | | take home for family and friends. |
| supply a diverse selection of quality produce to | | | | |