how much of my fruit and veg is local?

On the left is produce from abroad and on the right it is mainly local apart from the apples.

I always try and make sure that I get as much of my shopping from local shops as possible, partly to support local businesses and not big supermarkets. A local shop is part of the community as well as being able to source local produce. However I wanted to see what percentage of my grocery shop came from a local source.

This is a ordinary grocer’s not a farm or organic shop. I could walk alot further to the edge of town to an organic farm shop but I choose not to as I find it difficult to get to and more catered to the middle class market rather than the ethical shopper. I admit that the price puts me off.

We try and grow as much as possible for ourself but we still do not have the room to be fully self-sufficient in fruit and veg, so have to resort to the grocers at this time of year. I try and buy as much local produce as possible as it’s supporting my locality and also local, normally means that it is in season too.

I would say that on average my grocery shopping is 50/50 local to food from abroad.

All this is grown locally apart from the apples which come from another part of England. The eggs are free range and also come from a local farm.

This pile is the one that I always struggle with. Do I need bananas and grapes? The answer is no but we love them so what can you do at this time of year, when there is little by the way of seasonal fruit? The other veg are also not in season but with a vegetarian in the house I like to have a wide range of foods on offer. I also love mushrooms and these were on offer, the whole bag for 50p as they were on their way out, so I saved those from the bin.

This whole shop came to just over £11 this will last us a week, together with what is left over from last week. I decided not to buy meat this week as we have alot of fish in the freezer and have been eating alot of meat recently and I made a promise to our daughter that we would make more vegetarian meals. We are well stocked with other food so that will be about it for this week, not bad for a family of 5. On average we spend between £20 to £50 on food a week.

No it’s not all local and it’s not all organic but I like my local shop and I still try to make sure most of my other food is organic and only a small percentage comes from the supermarket. It’s a step in the right direction.