Re: Self-sufficiency in the UK...
 

So how serious are you about this Brissybee? It is a matter of great interest to me. You do not need much land to grow your own food. I have just under an acre, about half an acre fenced against the darn deer (who can jump a 6' fence and flatten themselves to 6" to get under a fence if they are small enough) and I would say about 1/8 of that is dedicated to food. I have a plum tree, cherry tree, 2 hazelnuts, raspberry canes, strawberry bed, blueberry bushes and then there's the veggie garden. Kale grows year-round here plus leeks, carrots and brassicas overwinter.. My fall planted garlic is about a foot high now; the broad beans are up and since this long weekend was warm and bathed in sunshine, I put in my spinach, peas and new leeks. I'll save the rest for another post; don't want to bore everyone to death. :o
This whole island is moving toward sef-sufficiency. Remember, if you work as a community, you don't have to do it all yourself. You can barter some of your goods for others.
I currently get free range organic eggs down the road at a better price than I can in the shops. I traded some of my apple cider vinegar with a fellow who bottles cider. I sell my rhubarb to a local restaurant.
The big things IMHO are energy and water. UK is made for wind power but could be supplemented with a few solar panels. As you say wood heat is good and I have scrounged my firewood here for the last few years but am tempted to buy a cord or two now as it's hard work to buck and chop! I love wood heat though. So much healthier than electricity or gas.
I could go on but perhaps better stop for now.
Just one more thing... I think water will be a problem in the future; here for sure as Canada sells its water to the US to water the desert! Perhaps not in the UK. After all there's enough of it, isn't there, but I like the idea of having a running stream nearby for clean water and possibly turbine for power.
No wonder so many self-sufficient types choose Wales; they have more relaxed laws on eco-building too, especially in Pembrokeshire.

Re: Self-sufficiency in the UK...
 

My degree of seriousness right now is to learn as much as I can about what might be possible... with a firm plan to at least supplement needs with home produce.

You sound like you are well on your way to having a lovely and productive living environment and, tbh, I don't know that I will achieve that much... trees take a long time to grow. I appreciate more can be achieved in a community of like-minded people but I'm not really up for communal living.

What I would really like would be to live in a relatively mainstream manner but have the means to self-supply heat and water if needs be (wood fire and spring or clean stream, as you say) and keep chickens, ducks, a couple of goats, and to have fruit and veg growing. I'd love trees... but unless they're already established this may take too long to appreciate.

Re: Self-sufficiency in the UK...
 

Allotments are becoming popular again. In the area wher I live (Rothesay on the Isle of Bute) a group of people recently took over a large area of derelict land and converted it into allotments. Most produce vegeatbles though one grows only flowers !