Telegraph readers on eating only British: 'Some items are simply not available homegrown'
Writing in the Telegraph, Clare Hargreaves has explained why she is pledging to eat only British food for the next year, and she's not the only one trying to avoid imported goods.
In a report released by Waitrose last year, the supermarket registered a 289 per cent year-on-year rise in searches for “British chicken” on Waitrose.com and “British beef” soared by 889 per cent. A poll by Made in Britain last year also found that 90 per cent of 2,000 respondents said it was important to buy British food.
With MPs warning that Brexit could mean that food supply problems get worse, Telegraph readers have had their say on whether it's time to go British at the dinner table.
Read on to see what your fellow readers have had to say and then share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
'I agree with not buying from the EU'
@Gill Forster:
"I agree with supporting British produce instead buying from the EU.
"However I have, in the past, supported Oxfam in it's drive to help third world countries support themselves and not have to rely on charity.
"Countries especially in Africa have worked hard to ensure their produce complies with our regulations. Also we want to trade with rest of the world and that means selling as well as buying."
'We have fantastic choices'
@Ingrid Ruston:
"We've always bought our meat from farms locally and veg and fruit in season which is more likely to be grown here and do our best to support our own growers without going without too much on variety.
"With spices and plenty of fruits coming from the commonwealth, who I'm sure will be sending us much more produce in the future now we have the freedom to trade, I think we will have the fantastic choices we have always enjoyed while supporting those that support us."
'We also need to be conscious of food waste'
@Paula Norman:
"Buy British wherever possible, we produce good quality meat cheeses by the dozen and lovely fruit vegetables and salad crops, also locally caught fish is the best going.
"Also let's remember the amount of food waste we have had over the last few decades."
'I'm happy to pay more for British produce'
@Rachel Short:
"We are lucky enough to have a local food hub, so all my veg is local, as is the bread, milk and cheese.
"I use a local butcher, fish is catch of the day from Looe, or from a company in Plymouth. We also have a fantastic local cheese shop. Meat is available on the food hub website as well, but I've been using the local butcher since 1986 and see no need to stop.
"I do buy Spanish citrus, but again, via the food hub who partnered with an organic collective in Spain. I'd be equally happy to buy Israeli or South African citrus.
"I'm happy to pay a bit more to support local growers and producers, and hopefully the supermarkets will begin to make a virtue of it. We have great food in the UK, we should support those who produce it buying and eating it."
'We need more prominent labelling of British products'
@Bob Wright:
"I agree totally that we should buy home produced food whenever possible, but it seems a bit 'hair shirt' to deny ourselves things that cannot be sourced here.
"What we urgently need is more prominent labelling of British products, so that we can favour them over imported ones. I am certainly prepared to pay a bit more as our produce will be fresher and environmentally more friendly than imports."
'Buying British has always been easy'
@The Hypertension Kid:
"I've been favouring British produce for some years now. Red wine is definitely an issue, as are coffee, bananas, citrus, and peppers etc. so Commonwealth has to do for these.
"Otherwise though, British has always been easy and reasonable to source - no need to go to any 'niche' or 'specialist' producers or suppliers, just keep your eyes open at any main supermarket (again, preferably British-owned).
"One thing I missed mention of though is our deliciously nutty English rapeseed oil - far superior on all counts to any olive oil."
'Ferry and road miles rather than air miles'
@Helen Walshe:
"I have purposely tried to prioritise British or Irish foods over the past couple of years. Ferry and road miles rather than air miles.
"Exceptions are tea, coffee, most wine, onions, chillies, tomatoes, ginger, dried fruits and spices and certain treat like chocolates.
"British wine is small in quantity. The sparkling is very good though can be expensive. On special occasions l choose British over champagne; Marksman is my favourite, while Chapel Down is less pricey but still decent. A lot of British and Irish craft beers go well with food.
"Your veg will be mostly root veg if you go British and it will be seasonal. Irish and British grass based beef and lamb is easy to find but be aware that some chicken is imported from Asia and Poland via Holland, and is very intensively reared.
"The best apples fade out from early spring. For a good oil, go for an artisan rape seed oil from lreland or the UK."
'Not everyone can afford to eat British'
@Colin Sewell:
"Buying British makes a lot of sense and always has but don't take it to the extreme where products which are totally unsuited to the UK climate are involved - such as coffee, spices, fruit and non seasonal veg.
"Also a lot of people simply can't afford to pay premium prices for British produce and we should welcome the opportunity to buy foodstuffs from poorer countries than the EU, at least for their sake.
"Although a total novice last year I grew my own tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces and they were amazing. I strongly recommend wherever you can to supplement purchases with as much homegrown organic food as possible."
'Some items have to be imported'
@Richard Marshall:
"I am very happy to buy British produce whenever I can.
"However, there are a number of items which, realistically, can only be imported.
"These include items like bananas, oranges, tea, coffee, rice and such like.
"I lived in France for quite a long time and got used to seasonality of fresh produce - it is possible to buy strawberries at Christmas in a very few places but not so generally as in the UK."
'The Government should help'
@John Condon:
"The Government should subsidise the building of greenhouses."
"It is better for employment, better of the economy, better for the environment and food security not to be importing food from Spain and the Netherlands."
'Let's also use Brexit to buy food from new nations'
@Jeremy Friend:
"I fully support buying British food. In a recent trip to Sainsbury's I managed to fill the trolley with mainly English produce. Beef, bacon, lamb, eggs, cheese, wine, 'champagne', etc. But there are items that simply aren't available home grown such as Brazilian corned beef, coffee, tea,etc.
"The expected bonus from Brexit is that by leaving the customs union non EU food will be cheaper and more freely available. So I have no issues with bananas, avocado and so on.
"It seems to be an unnecessary restriction, and possibly no more than virtue signalling, totally to avoid non British food. There are plenty of very poor countries who may well benefit from our new found freedom to import from world markets rather than the protected EU. I would rather buy sugar from cane, imported, than from beet."
Find out what stories are getting our readers talking by visiting the Telegraph Community Hub.
