Why We Believe British is Best

At eco cuisine we talk about sustainability a lot. And, we hope our commitment to sustainability is evident in how we operate – we even founded the North London Sustainability Network to help further our goal of spreading awareness about why sustainability is important.

You will hear us talk about seasonal eating and as we are based in England, that means buying British wherever possible. In today’s blog post we want to talk about why British producing and buying British is important to us.

Choosing British means supporting British farmers whose work helps to keep the British countryside the way we want it to look: without sheep, or cows, or fruit, or vegetables – there would be no countryside as we know it!

By selecting British produce you will be supporting the economy – everyone from the farmer, to those who work in food processing and the retailers selling the food (especially if it is an independent greengrocer – of which we have many in North London).

British food travels less far from farm to shop so has a lower carbon footprint than most imported foods, which travel air miles!  It makes sense that food that hasn't travelled for hours or days is going to taste fresher and be at its best. How many times have you bought fruit from a supermarket that never seems to ripen or when it does it suddenly is ripe then shortly after goes rotten.

Eating British fruits and vegetables in season is good for you. Foods in season contain the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of the year and, even better, they are cheaper for you to buy.

If you’re a meat eater, remember, British meat is produced to some of the highest welfare standards in the world: no growth-promoting hormones are allowed and any antibiotics are administered only under veterinary direction.  Plus, Britain's pig farmers operate by UK law to standards of welfare that are higher than those of nearly every other EU member state.

Britain's beef and sheep industries are the envy of the world; breeding livestock and genetics from our native breeds are much sought after by farmers in other countries. Protect our great native livestock industry by buying the real thing, not an imported substitute. Britain's cattle passport system means that each animal can be uniquely traced to its dam (mother) and place of birth.

British chicken is the safest chicken meat in Europe: 2% of British chickens have salmonella whereas 30% of European chickens have the disease.

If you check labels when you're shopping you'll be surprised how much British produce you can buy and adapt recipes to include fresh seasonal produce. As an example, in a curry you could use cabbage as your green - you can even buy British grown pak choi and choi sum.

Why not try buying British for a week and see how you get on...……….