I know, I know we have all heard it before, “you can’t eat those, they are not in season”, “you should be shopping locally, the supermarkets are killing local businesses”, “do you realise how many miles that avocado has flown so you can smash it on your toast?”. A lot of the time statements like these feel a little extreme – all you wanted was a pint of milk, not a lecture. But with growing concerns regarding the environment, our health and even the availability of produce we really have to consider the benefits of shopping locally.
So much of the joy and success of cooking is from the ingredients we use. Whether you are a chef running a professional kitchen or just someone who enjoys cooking at home, you will know how important it is to use the best ingredients possible. In purchasing your ingredients from local suppliers you are helping guarantee that you are getting the best you can for your dishes. At WhitePepper Chef Academy we also want the best and nurture close relationships with Dorset’s local suppliers. You might wonder if there actually is a difference between the quality of the produce of a reputable supermarket and say a local butcher or green grocer. There is. Given the scale and economy of supermarkets they have both variety and supply for low prices. Yet, given this scale and their need to accommodate to a constant demand many of the benefits found in shopping locally are lost.
Nutritionally local produce is a winner. Between harvesting and arriving on supermarket shelves a surprising amount of the nutritional value of a vegetable or piece of fruit will diminish. Vitamin C and antioxidants degrade during the time it takes fresh produce to be shipped, stored and sold by supermarkets. Local suppliers and producers are plagued far less by this issue. Most of the produce you can get from shopping in your local area, from local suppliers, will have travelled a few miles, if not a few metres. What could be fresher than picking the strawberries in your punnet, or seeing the carrots in the field?
That is the other pro of shopping locally – you know exactly where it has come from. At the likes of Jurassic Coast Fine Foods, WhitePepper’s meat supplier, much of their meat is reared on site. What began as a commercial supplier has diversified into a butchery farm shop and catering company. With an onsite butchery, the meat travels a matter of yards between being butchered and arriving in your shopping bag. Like many local suppliers they promote sustainable farming and affordable prices. The transparency created by the proximity you have to your local producers provides a great insight into their practices. There are no air miles on your meat, or tonnes of carbon dioxide on your vegetables here. As the consumer you have far more knowledge of how the food got to be on your plate than you would if you shopped at a supermarket.
Things only get better and better from here for locally sourced produce. What with the rise of ‘farm to table’ restaurants, greater focus has been placed on the origins and sustainability of our food. Restaurants love highlighting that they use local ingredients and produce because people love the idea of it. Local produce has been romanticised to be looked on as an ideal. We like the idea that we might have driven passed the field in which our lettuce once grew, or on which the cow for our steak once grazed. We also seem to know that local produce tastes better, is better for you and is better for the environment. Yet, often we do not apply all of this reasoning to our own cooking. But as the use of local ingredients becomes more and more the norm the importance of the seasonality of our ingredients has been highlighted.
Before the world opened up with improved transport and communication affordable food was local food. People would eat the food that was in season and could be purchased at the time. For instance, raspberries were just eaten in the summer as that is when they are available in Britain. Raspberries were not flown over from Spain all year round. But, the influence of farm to table ideologies and restaurants using local produce has filtered down into everyday cooking. Not only are people seeing the benefits mentioned above, but they are also seeing how sustainable eating can be achieved by shopping seasonally. Unsurprisingly, the easiest way to shop seasonally is to shop locally. Farm shops and butchers will only be able to sell you what they have. Their lack of mass production allows you to rest in the knowledge that your produce will be sustainably and ethically sourced. The farm to table ideology seen in lots of local shopping restores the link between the origins of food and what arrives on your plate. People are becoming more educated regarding what they are eating and how it is produced. So not only will shopping locally make your cooking taste even better, it will also help you do your bit for the environment.
In shopping locally you are not just getting some of the best quality produce, you are also helping your local economy. The money you spend with local producers will more often than not remain in the local community and be reinvested. In supporting these businesses you aid in local economic growth which stimulates employment and local income. In recent years people have discussed the ‘death of the High Street’ as it applies to wider retail but the same thing has been happening to the local producer. With the rise of superstores and the infiltration of convenience stores many people favour the ‘one stop shop’ method of modern food shopping. Gone seem to be the days of going from butcher, to baker, to green grocer. Yet, in not making the extra effort we are losing out on all our local producers have to offer.
Of course this is not to say supermarkets are the enemy of the environment, nutrition and farming. The most common issue with staying local is that often prices will be higher. This is understandable, local producers often will not have the infrastructure for massive production and their aim is not to provide the cheapest product possible. But, it is equally understandable that people would rather be economical and be as cost effective as they can be. As the cost of living only rises shopping locally remains a luxury. Local producers cannot compete with the lower prices of supermarkets. Equally, it is not impossible to try and shop locally at the supermarket. Every product will tell you its place of origin and once you have an understanding of the seasonality of produce you can easily navigate the array on offer and find something produced a little closer to home. Finally, it is also completely reasonable for a consumer to want fresh raspberries in December or tomatoes in February. So much of the variety in our diets comes from imported produce. So maybe a compromise is in order. Where you have the luxury to shop locally, shop locally, where you don’t, don’t. But what is important is an awareness regarding the benefits of looking to your local area for your produce.
Shopping locally may not be for everyone. It is contingent on your location, your palette, and your budget. But, if and where you can shop locally it is a great means of getting the freshest, tastiest produce available. You will be not only helping your cooking shine, but also supporting local businesses. There is a reason so many great restaurants promote their use of local produce; it really cannot be beaten.
Article by Food Writer Katharine Spurrier, June 2023.
