'It can be hard for people to find and afford food grown close to home'
"We’ve built a food economy geared towards exports, yet it can still be hard for people here to find and afford food grown close to home."
That's the perspective of Anthony O'Toole, food and drink specialist and founder of Fat Tomato, an edible garden and kitchen food brand and edible garden honesty farm shop at Carraig Rua Hill in north Co. Wexford, which has an online store.
He added: "Farmers have the power to change where some of their food goes.
"I’d start by looking at how we used to feed our own local communities.
"How to add value at the source. Could you supply the local butcher, farm shop or chef directly? Could you put an honesty shop at the bottom of the driveway?
"A shorter route to the customer can help farmers keep more of the price people pay."
Ireland’s food system is broken when farmers carry the risk of a bad season and have so little say in what they’re paid, O'Toole said.
His tiny hillside garden is home to more than 500 varieties of fruit, herbs, vegetables and edible flowers.
"At Fat Tomato, I grow for flavour, not yield. Some heritage varieties take more work and give me less to sell, so the price I charge reflects that.
"I’ve found that people will pay more when they can taste the difference, know the food is grown and produced with care without the use of synthetic chemicals," he explained.
There’s scope for farmers to build on what makes their own produce distinctive, "whether that is supplying milk directly from the farm, an Irish heritage grain, a rare breed or a vegetable variety you rarely see on a supermarket shelf", he said.
We need more Irish growers of garlic, asparagus, onions and squash, according to O'Toole.
"Chefs want it and consumers are asking for it," he asserted.
"In my work as a food, hospitality and tourism specialist, I help farmers and producers to add value to what to do, decide what to sell directly and design and price experiences around what they already do well."
He explained that this could be an honesty farm shop, a paid farm walk and tasting, or a harvest lunch with a local chef.
"Farmers are natural storytellers. A well designed visit gives them a way to earn from what they know and gives people a reason to come back and buy from them.
"They just need to work with the people who bring tourists to their area, whether that is a hotel, a tour or operator," O'Toole said.
Slow food
He has been involved in Slow Food International for many years, advocating for small growers, farmers and producers.
He said: "It meant a great deal to me when Fat Tomato became the third farm in Ireland to join the Slow Food Farms network in August.
"It connects farmers around the world who are putting agroecology into practice, caring for their soils, protecting biodiversity and working towards food that is good, clean and fair.
"For me, keeping heritage varieties alive means growing them, cooking with them and passing the seeds on.
The Fat Tomato has a range of Christmas gift boxes on offer including the grow gift box; the tomato gift box; the gardener gift box; and the FAT-T0-MATO seasonal subscription.
O'Toole's ambition is to make Fat Tomato a small food destination in north Wexford.
He said: "I’d love people to taste two varieties of the same fruit, herbs and vegetables side by side, see why one might fare better in a wet summer and another in a dry one, and learn how to save seed for their own gardens.
"I’d also like a visit here to give people a reason to seek out other growers and makers nearby.
"I’m looking for land to buy at the moment. Once I find the right site, the next step is to work out how to fund the build."
