THE day-to-day running of Cultivate is left down to myself and Jack with a bit of help from our grocer team. But we wouldn’t be able to manage all things Cultivate without the support of our team of voluntary board members. Each has a different speciality and skills set to bring the our co-op and they support Jack and I in various ways, whether it’s ensuring we are abiding by the rules of our co-op, helping with marketing, putting us in touch with other growers or looking over our business plans and figures.

Most recently our board member Gary Frank helped us set up a partnership with a supplier I was extremely happy to be working with – Barefoot Kitchen. If you’ve visited an Oxford restaurant or cafe recently it’s very likely that you would have come across some of Barefoot’s bakes. I first came across them when a friend decided she wanted to serve their brownies at her wedding and brought me some to try. At the time I wasn’t that keen on brownies but I didn’t want to turn down free food so gave them a go. After the first bite I was an instant convert. These brownies made all others pale in comparison and were dangerously rich and delicious.

The decision to stock them at our Cultivate stops was a no-brainer and they’ve been growing in popularity since we launched them a few weeks ago. Which is why I wasn’t surprised to find out that one of the reasons Fraser and Emily, the owners of Barefoot Kitchen, opened their new cafe in Jericho is because customers of their market stall practically bullied them to do so!

What I love about their brownies is not only how rich and gooey they are but that they are gluten-free – opening them up to more people to enjoy. They really are the best brownies is Oxford, which is why this week we’ve decided to give every customer spending £15 or more at one of our stops a free one as a little thank you. But be warned – they really are deliciously addictive.