As little as 100 years ago, practically everything we ate would have been seasonal food, grown locally. Now we have strawberries all year round and munch apples from Africa. But does this convenience have a cost?
Discover five great reasons why you should look out for more produce and meat grown in our own country.
1. You'll be helping the environment
Transporting food across the world has massive environmental implications. Experts estimate that almost as much greenhouse gas is created by moving food than by all power stations in the UK. We're not just importing produce that wouldn't normally grow here, such as bananas or sugar. The various ingredients of a traditional English roast could have travelled 12,000 miles to reach your plate, despite all of the produce being indigenous to this country. By buying locally grown food, you'll be cutting down 'food miles', the distance it takes your dinner to get from farm to plate, and so will be helping to keep the roads clearer and the air cleaner.
2. Seasonal food tastes better
You can by fresh tomatoes all year round in the supermarkets. The problem is, they only taste like tomatoes for about three months. Food that's been grown on the other side of the world for the UK market has to be kept fresh during its long journey. This means dousing it in preservatives and harvesting products before they're quite ripe, and then artificially ripening them when they reach their destinations. All this amounts to bland food, smothered in chemicals.
3. Your diet is more varied
The supermarkets are stocked with a huge range of produce from around the world; ironically all this choice just means we eat the same food all year round. If you make an effort to eat locally grown, seasonal food, you eat a more varied diet and you have the enjoyment of trying new recipes. It means getting excited when you see British asparagus in springtime and apples in autumn and would inspire us to become more skilful and inventive cooks. Discover what's in season throughout the year and shop accordingly.
4. It's cheaper!
It makes sense that it costs less to buy food that has been grown 20 rather than 2,000 miles away. On average, local produce is 30 per cent cheaper than 'global foods'. If you're feeling really frugal you can visit farm shops and go fruit picking in the countryside. Alternatively you can just go down to your nearest farmers' market for quality, fresh produce. Most towns and cities will have one. Find your nearest market at www.farmersmarket.net. It's a great way to find out more about locally produced food and to speak to the growers directly.
5. You'll help boost the local economy
Small family farms and local shops and abattoirs are disappearing as they struggle to compete with the global market. Only 1.8 of the British workforce is involved in agriculture - lower than in the rest of Europe. This means more people end up living and working in cities and towns while the rural areas go in to decline. By eating more local food, you'll be preserving the livelihood and liveliness of rural Britain.
To find out more about what's in season, visit www.cobritishfarming.org.uk.
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