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Surely we don't have to choose between Delia or Jamie, Fern or Nigella? Perhaps they all have a valid point but what we should have is choice...

Web Watch: 19 February 2008
Published each week in the Henley Standard

Taking the easy option

by Jacqueline Alexander

Delia Smith's latest book, How to Cheat at Cooking, has received a huge amount of press coverage. No surprise there, then. More surprising has been the amount of negative reviews highlighting the promotion of branded products such as frozen mash, tinned mince and grated cheese to name but a few. Delia is apparently totally out of step with the current penchant of other top chefs who continue to bang the drum on behalf of organic, local and fresh produce.

Whilst the reviews are mixed, the retail response to another Delia special has been more predictable. The books are flying off the shelves, outselling at least two rivals in the form of the earnest Jamie Oliver and the impassioned Nigella Lawson. The products recommended in the recipes are not doing badly either with some tripling or quadrupling demand since the serialisation of the book in a national newspaper. Aunt Bessie has never been happier.

As an independent observer, I can appreciate all points of view. Delia is appealing to the busy, the overworked, the stressed and the lazy amongst us. Hands up who can say they don't fit into at least one of those categories? Jamie is appealing to our better nature. We all know that local produce is good for the environment to buy food that doesn't leave a massive carbon footprint in its wake and, as luck would have it, it usually tastes better, too. And Nigella, well, Nigella appeals to a multitude of people for a multitude of reasons but her love of food as an indulgence is as refreshing as it is calorific.

Surely there is a solution that could keep everyone happy, or at least a partial solution that could keep many happy. What prevents us cooking tasty meals with local produce? The answer has to be time, so it looks like Delia has the answer, or does it? What about those of us that want tastier food but haven't got the time to find a supplier or two? Or those of us who don't want to continue overburdening the supermarkets with those nasty, huge profits? Or those of us who want to support our local farmers and, subsequently, our local community? The answer then has to be to make it easier to source, buy and receive the local products. And, as luck would have it, I have just the web site to help.

Not only can you find a local supplier from this site, you can order your food online and have it delivered to your door. Unfortunately, no one is offering to come round and cook it for you as yet but, if you know enough overworked individuals with a cash surplus, there may be a business idea in there somewhere.

Localfoodshop.co.uk offers a very simple to use system designed to make the ordering of local produce easy and, by uniting demand and supply within geographic boundaries, they are aiming to continually reduce the carbon footprint of your food. Their honesty is refreshing; they are not sure of the statistics and measurements of the now infamous footprint but as they widen their net and grow their market coverage, they promise to identify this. Meanwhile, they tell you exactly how far the supplier is from your post code, give you all the contact details so you can ask any questions and, most importantly, give you access to their shop to purchase online. You can buy from as many suppliers as you want, your order will be organised to ensure delivery of all your goods to the same place at the same time.

Whilst seemingly highlighting this service for customers, I am hoping that there are a few producers out there looking to expand their sales channel. If everyone jumps on board with this terrific idea, the chances of it being a success are higher. And, of course, the more demand there is, the more chance there is that the prices become more competitive with other suppliers - those ones with the massive advantage of buying power.

If you can't find what you want on this site, but perhaps have a little time to pay a visit to a local farm shop, you will find a more comprehensive list of suppliers at the parent site, bigbarn.co.uk. This site doesn't offer the online shop but it does offer a map of your area with icons showing where you can buy fish, meat, vegetables, bread, drinks and dairy products as well as pointing you in the direction of nurseries, restaurants and craft shops.

I don't think we have to listen to just one chef on a mission - surely we don't have to choose between Delia or Jamie, Fern or Nigella? Perhaps they all have a valid point but what we should have is choice. Localfoodshop.co.uk gives us that. And, if we use it, there will be even more choices just round the corner. Quite literally.

www.localfoodshop.co.uk

Jacqueline Alexander presents Web Watch every Tuesday at 5.45pm on BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM and DAB Digital Radio. To listen in, just visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire.

What is Web Watch?

Web Watch is broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire, published in the Henley and South Oxon Standard and published online right here at web-watch.info.

As a cross-media project, Web Watch is designed to help you find the best sites here on the Internet.

You can catch Web Watch on air every Tuesday at 5.45pm when Jacqueline Alexander sits down with Phil Kennedy during the Drivetime show on BBC Radio Berkshire to chew the virtual fat.