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Autumnal treats

Who ate all the British apples? Rejina Sabur-Cross goes in search of seasonal splendour and asks why it's so difficult to feast on local British bounty.

Egremont Russets and Annie Elizabeth apples, Coolea and Stichelton cheese, salsify , pheasant, chestnuts, elderberries, medlars, hare and mallard, for many appreciators of good food, autumn is a much-anticipated season and it's at this time of year that our produce really comes into its own.

All these native delights are at their prime right now; so why is it such a mission to track them down?

We are frequently presented with the same old, imported and out of season products in our supermarkets

Despite the odd token attempt to stock more local food, we are frequently presented with the same old, imported and out of season products in our supermarkets. On a recent visit I spotted none of the above, but plenty of two-for-one offers on some particularly sorry-looking pineapples and Brie.

According to London-based delivery service, Marky Market, a lack of choice in the supermarket makes us all complacent about what we buy. "You're encouraged to buy a habitual list of constantly available food - if it's always on the supermarket shelf, there's little need to think too hard about your shopping, so you become used to not even looking for anything else. If people don't ask for anything different the supermarkets won't stock it. It's a self-perpetuating cycle that makes life easier for the supermarkets."

John Pallagi of bespoke food delivery service, Farmison, agrees: "Supermarkets are locked into buying huge quantities and stocking the same products year-round. Because seasonal food is fleetingly available, it doesn't suit their buying systems. It's easier just to stock the same lines 365 days of the year."

Mark has built up relationships with several specialists including the game suppliers at Smithfields and because certain game, particularly grouse and pheasant are prohibitively expensive for the start of their seasons, he'll always advise his customers to hold off ordering them until the prices sink to something more sensible.

Farmison.com only supply meat produced on these shores and while they're not against importing food, if it's something we can't grow over here, they won't sell pomegranates and pineapples in summer when our berries are at their most marvellous.

It's a shame that so much of our native produce is overlooked in favour of often less-flavoured imported produce, but with ever-tightening purse strings and with little else nearby, so many of us have scant alternative to the choices found in the supermarket chains.

But is this a necessary evil? Is it a frustrating divergence from traditional ingredients or a necessary reality within a global economy? How much do you value home grown and local and what are your favourite seasonal treats currently absent from mainstream shopping aisles?

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