Supporting local producers

Its naive to think that we can return to relying on local production in the same way as our grandparents and great grandparents did but its good if we can move a little way away from mass produced Asda and Tesco packaged food - good for us, good for the local economy and good for the environment.

We have enjoyed picking our own fruit at Durleigh Marsh Farm this summer and we got a whole locally reared lamb this week which has the merit of being both cheaper and better tasting than supermarket lamb. It also takes up less space in the freezer than you might think. We also find the flour from Singleton Open Air Museum much better and cheaper than supermarket flour when baking wholemeal bread.

Lets hope than many more farmers can prosper by disintermediating the supermarkets and selling directly to us. National and local government need to ensure that Defra (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Health & Safety Executive regulations are reduced to make buying locally produced food less expensive, thereby ensuring that more people can enjoy it.