British Public 'Hungry' For Seasonal Food

A national MORI survey has revealed that the British public wants to buy home-grown food in season but is not in touch with when it is harvested.

And today the National Farmers' Union launched its New Season for British Food campaign aimed at filling this information gap.

The NFU will be giving away calendars detailing when food is in season and recipe cards at 'taste, talk and try' food demonstrations to herald the start of the spring, summer and autumn/winter harvests at agricultural shows, farmers' markets and other key events around the country.

The MORI survey found:

• 74% of people say they would be likely to buy British fruit and vegetables when they are in season
• 56% of those who would buy seasonal produce say they would do so to support the rural economy
• other main reasons for buying in season fruit and vegetables are freshness (31%), good taste (23%) and good quality (20%)

But it also revealed:

• Nearly half are not aware that British apples are picked from September to October
• 70% of people do not know that home-grown peas are harvested from May to June
• 54% do not know that British new potatoes are available from May to June
• 69% are in the dark over when broccoli is in season (May to August)

The findings were released in London today at the launch of the New Season for British Food campaign, which aims to put the dates of the country's main harvesting seasons back in all our diaries.

Celebrity chef Brian Turner helped spread 'the knowledge' of these key dates to London's cabbies at the launch by serving up a seasonal spring feast at Tina's taxi shelter in Grosvenor Gardens one of the capital's smallest commercial kitchens!

Women from the farming community were also on hand to help serve the seasonal spread of spring lamb, freshly-picked asparagus and Cornish new potatoes.

Commenting on the seasonal campaign and the challenge of cooking in a kitchen measuring just 6ft by 5ft, Brian Turner said: "this just goes to show you don't need a huge kitchen or an extravagant range of ingredients to cook up a fantastic meal using seasonal, fresh British produce."

"I hope this event - set in certainly one of the most unusual, if not the smallest, kitchens I have ever worked in - has set people's minds thinking about the seasons and how they can make the most of the huge range of fresh British produce which is readily available in this country throughout the year."

NFU Deputy President Tony Pexton said: "This survey demonstrates the high value the public places on the contribution British farming makes to the economy and our rural communities."

"Our campaign aims to feed the growing hunger among people to get back in tune with nature. We are confident that by raising awareness of what's in season and when, more people will be able to actively support our home-grown industry and enjoy what it has to offer."

"Certainly, we hope the arrival of the country's new crop of crisp asparagus, the start of our strawberry season and the arrival of British broccoli on our shelves will be dates on the calendar we can all look forward to."

Technical details

In April the NFU commissioned MORI to carry out a survey into the public's attitude to seasonal British food. Face-to-face, in-home interviews were conducted between 23-26 April 1999 among a representative quota sample of 2,032 adults aged 15+ at 162 sampling points throughout GB as part of an omnibus survey. Data have been weighted to GB profile.