Seasonal eating

Seasonal eating
Eating in tune with the seasons makes sense to anyone who is even remotely concerned with the state of the environment. Buying local produce as often as is feasible and practical will do much to reduce the number of lorries clogging up our roads as they transport food up and down the country.

Making the effort to use your local greengrocer (if you are still lucky enough to have one near you) and supporting local growers and producers through farmer's markets and farm shops will make a huge change in what you eat at different times of the year.

Making a conscious decision to only buy and eat meat, vegetables and dairy produce with a genuine UK provenance is essential if we want to maintain our farming industry and our traditional landscapes. Buying as much as you can from independent food retailers is also the best way to ensure that growers and farmers get a fair price for their goods and that you get the best value out of your food if you are short of money since your divorce settlement.

How do I know which fruit and vegetables are in season?
Not difficult if you steer clear of the supermarkets and their everything from everywhere all year round policy and interrogate your greengrocer or market stall holder for what’s best and where it was grown.

Eating what is in season will save you money if finance after divorce is tight and if you can buy locally, then that will save you even more money and give you a self satisfied glow knowing that you have probably saved hundreds, if not thousands, of food miles as well as supporting some hard working nearby farmer or market gardener.

If you are pushed for time or live in the middle of a conurbation then do not despair. veg box schemes – organic or otherwise - are becoming ever more popular and a quick Google should turn up someone who will deliver in your area.

Seasons for fish, shellfish and game
Certain creatures of land and sea i.e. fish, shellfish and game, are subject to seasonal variations in the same, although perhaps less obvious way, as fruit and vegetables.

It is however, much less easy than with fruit and veg to define the times that these scaly, fishy, furred and feathered creatures will be at their best for human consumption. A word with your fishmonger or butcher (endangered species themselves) should help you make the most of what is available.