Why Eat British?

We are so incredibly lucky to has such a phenomenal agricultural industry in the United Kingdom. However, in recent years there has been huge pressures placed on farmers due to cheap and out of season imports to home soil (supermarkets chains, I’m looking at you). It’s because of this, that our agricultural sector is really feeling the pressure and farmers across the country are having to fight extremely hard to stay alive.

Nowadays, it is so easy to fall into the trap of just picking up a few things without even thinking about where they may have come from and even when things are even in season in the UK, there will always be an overseas competitor just waiting to be picked up. Thanks to complex trading relationships (obviously these are likely to change in the near future depending on Brexit agreements), overseas produce is so incredibly cheap and accessible that it is not surprising that so many will opt for a cheaper non-British alternative.

“According to a 2016 Mintel survey on attitudes to British food, 56 per cent of British consumers said that they try to buy British where possible”

However, I do have faith in us Brits to begin making some serious changes to the way that we shop. According to a 2016 Mintel survey on attitudes to British food, 56 per cent of British consumers said that they try to buy British where possible. Furthermore, a number of supermarkets, such as The Co-op and Waitrose have expressed some great efforts towards supporting British farming.

*Feb 2016 survey

*Feb 2016 survey

It’s certainly a learning curve though, when you think of how many foreign staples that we use in our diets, so I thought I would try my hand a documenting how and why we can rely far more on domestic goods. I’m truly excited about this journey as we do have the most fantastic menus and produce, and I can’t wait to discover more of what the UK has to offer.

Eating British is such a vital exercise for all of us and it is truly frustrating to think how many farmers have been placed under immense pressure by our consumer habits. So, I’ve decided to start this blog in an attempt to showcase how wonderful our British produce and how we could all be doing more to support our farmers.