Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is incredibly healthy, but ensuring the produce is both seasonal and local will not only have a positive environmental impact but help small businesses too.
This is why Veg Power has launched its #SeasonalVeg campaign this week to encourage more Brits to eat vegetables grown at this time of the year by local producers.
It is more important now than ever to support these businesses, as they typically get most of their custom from pubs, restaurants and hotels, all of which are currently closed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Therefore, huge quantities of seasonal vegetables that would normally make up delicious-sounding menus are at risk of going to waste.
Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is one of the celebrities who has shown support for the campaign, saying: “We grow a wonderful variety of beautiful veg in the UK and we are just coming into the most abundant season of the year. Of course a diet big on vegetables is a massive win for our long term health – and eating seasonal veg is also a great way to support our farmers during economically challenging times.”
He added: “Let’s all embrace the sheer goodness of the best seasonal vegetables this summer and beyond. I certainly will.”
As well as Fearnley-Whittingstall, other famous chefs who are throwing themselves behind the campaign include Jamie Oliver, Lorraine Pascale, Yotam Ottolenghi and Melissa Hemsley.
SORTEDfood and the Guild of Chefs, as well as the Association for Nutrition, the British Dietetic Association, and the Guild of Food Writers are also promoting the initiative.
Veg Power hopes that every organisation behind the campaign will create lots of content for their social media networks and reach their huge followings to encourage them to eat more seasonal, local produce.
DEFRA and Public Health England’s Change4Life is also supporting #SeasonalVeg, and farming minister Victoria Prentis said of the project: “From springtime asparagus to hardy winter greens, our farmers work throughout the year to produce an array of produce renowned for its exceptional taste and quality.”
“Here in Britain we are lucky to have this abundance on our plates, and I encourage everyone to support our food heroes by buying seasonally and locally,” Ms Prentis stated.
Those wondering what vegetables are in season at the moment have been advised by Veg Power that June is a great time for asparagus, carrots, cucumber, ginger, lettuce, onions, peppers, radicchio, rocket, savoy cabbages, spinach, spring onions and summer squashes.
They should be able to find these readily available at retailers that are also supporting the campaign, including Sainsburys, Ocado, Able & Cole and Riverford Organic.
One way to make sure you get seasonal veg into your diet is through healthy cold-pressed juices, including one made out of romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, cucumber, mint and lemon.
Alternatively, you could opt for one of Daily Dose Juice’s weekly veg boxes that contains the best seasonal produce from New Covent Garden Market, as well as two delicious juices. What’s more, for every box purchased, another will be donated to NHS teams at local hospitals.