50 food mile diary: Early views

The Gemmell family from the Borders is taking part in the 50:50 food challenge

An unusual food experiment is under way in the Scottish Borders.

Fifty people hope to survive a month eating only produce from within a 50-mile radius of their homes.

The event has been organised by the voluntary group Tweedgreen which hopes to promote local food and cut energy waste.

One family taking part, the Gemmells from Peebles, are keeping a diary of their experiences for the BBC Scotland news website.

HONEY IS THE NEW SUGAR - 12 OCTOBER 2009

Michael helps out with the family flapjacks which are a work in progress

We have cleared the cupboards and stocked up on local flours, oats, butter, and honey which are key to our new non-processed diet.

Fish was bought at the market, eggs from Bonnington farm along with a wonderful head of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

We initially bought a variety of cheeses allowing the children to pick their favourites and us to decide on what would be suited for sauces, soups or simply to be savoured with a homemade oatcake or bannock.

The children really enjoyed a trip to Whitmuir, the local organic farm, and we have even witnessed mum, a vegetarian of many years, standing in a butcher's queue for the first time in decades.

Our diet has been varied with fresh fish, meat, homemade veggie sausages, omelettes and homemade soups all supported with our own leeks, onions, runner beans, kale and potatoes.

Although we have not kept detailed accounts, so far we are saving money or, at least, not spending any more

We have also been breaking into our stash of frozen allotment broad beans and courgettes.

Overall, the food is not dramatically different to what we are used to, but more thought is required in planning and more time is necessary to prepare it.

Prior to this week dishes were enhanced by a stock cube, fish already had breadcrumbs, pizza in a box, bread was in a wrapper, and a forgotten lunch could be resolved with a shop-bought pie or sandwich.

Now all need to be made from scratch, and omissions cannot be made up by a quick dash to the supermarkets.

Bread making has improved as the challenge has worn on

Bread making has progressed. In our fast, working-family life we have success thanks to The Real Bread Campaign's recipe - real bread from a bread machine.

We now have a wonderful daily loaf using a fraction of previously used yeast and no sugar whatsoever.

Honey is the new sugar in our house. It has been a saviour at breakfast where we had tried the children with porridge but they remained unimpressed.

Since then we have been using one of TweedGreen's local recipes of oats toasted with honey and butter. Delicious, it has been a revelation, which even Rachael loves, though we now mix it with muesli base to make it go further.

Snacks tackled

For dad having to do without sugar has not caused the desperate cravings as was anticipated but coffee has been a problem.

Having previously "enjoyed" his coffee with sugar, he is not yet used to going without.

Although his usual eight or ten cups per day had decreased to about four, which probably is not such a bad thing, he will struggle on.

It has also been a struggle for dad not to have Danish pastries to fall back on.

Rachael and Alasdair bring a snack to school each day and early flapjacks have disintegrated into a loose amalgam of bits in their lunch boxes.

Family mealtimes have, on the whole, produced a good reaction

Fraser is eating an incredible amount of apples while Michael's new favourite treat is two spoonfuls of honey in a bowl, very Winnie the Pooh. Snacks will be the next task to master.

Although we have not kept detailed accounts, so far we are saving money or, at least, not spending any more.

Some items are more expensive - but they are possibly fresher, of better quality and from a known source.

We now leave the supermarket with what we went in for, which is not very much and we have avoided falling into the trap of buying a pile of stuff we do not really need. Consequently we have saved a small fortune - if only we were always this disciplined.

One week in, and to be honest, it's not actually been too bad.

When asked, Michael did not realise we were only eating food that came from Peebles.

Alasdair says he is really enjoying the challenge, whereas Rachael admitted it was not so bad and is enjoying making more things but is missing things like crisps and scampi.

Half expecting to find ourselves with at least some egg on our faces - albeit free-range organic egg - we have been surprised at the ease to which we have adapted to new 50:50 lives.

Perhaps the novelty is yet to wear off, but we are really enjoying it.