02 Oct Buy British Day 2024
This Buy British Day, we spoke to Managing Director and former chef and restauranteur, Eddy Nuttall about the importance of buying British produce.
What does buying British produce mean to you as a former chef?
The main thing here is the seasonality of the foods. As a chef I was always looking to utilise local, seasonal produce. The UK has some of the the best seafood, game, beef and lamb in the world, not to mention the abundance of fruit and vegetables we produce. The key is purchasing in season.
How do you think using local British ingredients impacts the flavour of dishes?
When using local, in-season products, the flavour will always be much improved. A lot of the products we import come from hot houses in Europe for the vegetables, and large farms for fish and meat products. Local products are generally from small independent growers where flavour of produce is paramount in their production.
Why is supporting British farmers and producers important for the food industry?
The UK has some of the world’s best producers. With Brexit and greedy mass purchasing by the supermarkets, this number is dwindling. It is so important to the wellbeing of the food industry that British producers are protected.
Can you share an example of a dish that highlights British ingredients?
One example is the asparagus we produce in April/May, which is far superior to anything coming in from overseas.
A second is the langoustines that come in from wild stocks off the Scottish highlands. Unfortunately, these generally get shipped overseas, mainly France, as they generally have a better understanding of foods than here in the UK; we only traditionally use this in Scampi! Thankfully, understanding of ingredients the UK has to offer is changing for the better, so in years to come we should be keeping these world leading products in the UK!
What role does sustainability play when choosing to Buy British produce?
With inferior products coming in from overseas, it is impossible to know they will be sustainable sourced and there is a huge environmental cost to this.
What challenges do chefs face in sourcing British produce year-round?
As mentioned, the impact of Brexit and supermarket buying chains has put a huge burden on the independent growers and farmers in the UK, meaning it gets more and more difficult to source all British. There are, however, still some superb suppliers in all corners of the UK, the chefs just need to find them and back them!
How do you think buying British impacts the local economy?
This is huge, it’s a shame the UK government doesn’t do more to support the local independent growers and farmers as the impact on the local communities when these die off is devastating.
What advice would you give to consumers about the benefits of buying British food?
Buy British! Always take the time out to source local independent suppliers and growers. The UK’s best chefs already know this, the general public can support this by buying local, using markets and local suppliers, farm shops, local butchers etc, and keeping away from the large supermarkets. We all know this is very difficult given the convenience of them; our office is above Leeds Kirkgate market and I am always trudging through Leeds after work to the train laden with super high quality fruit, veg and meat/fish products. It’s a pain but well worth it and a fraction of the price paid in the supermarkets!