Time to bin the turkey twizzlers

In the last 20 years our calendar has been bombarded with events from the bizarre to the ridiculous, writes Rural Affairs Editor Nathan Rous, among them take-your-dog-to-work day, national smile month and the slightly-dodgy-ticker week.

Of course, taking your dog to the cattery where you've worked for three months is probably not the brightest idea, but if it coincided with national smile month then at least your employers couldn't get angry with you.

Organisers behind this new trend use the publicity to create awareness, encouraging us all to take a step back from the rigours of the rat race to think about an issue that could well save our lives.

Today marks the beginning of British Food Fortnight and gives everyone a chance to support Shropshire's merry band of growers and producers by buying from these shores. And if Tesco realises the importance of stocking Shropshire carrots and Shropshire potatoes then the very least you can do is buy them.

There are countless arguments as to why buying locally makes sense, such as the fact the money stays in our economy longer and supports the jobs of our friends and neighbours.

Alexia Robinson, organiser of British Food Fortnight, says: "Now more than ever people want the best value for money - but value is not just about price, it is also about quality. Good food is one of the great pleasures of life and shouldn't be something we deprive ourselves of in these harsh economic times.

So with the help of the British Food Fortnight team, we have put together some tips on eating British during the credit crunch:

• Eat seasonal produce. When food is in season there is usually an abundance of supply and therefore seasonal produce is often on special offer. At the moment look for aubergines, courgettes, sweetcorn, plums and blackberries.

• Cook from scratch. Buy raw meat and fresh fruit and vegetables rather than expensive ready-made meals. Adapt your recipes to what is on special offer.

• Buy cheaper cuts of meat. Some cuts of meat are less fashionable and therefore cheaper than others. This does not mean that the meat is of a lesser quality. We tend to equate eating quality with tenderness and succulence so it is important to use the correct cooking method for that cut of meat.

• Buy joints or full carcases of meat. Buy a whole chicken rather than chicken breasts; a leg of lamb rather than lamb chops. Use the bones to make stock for soups and the left-over meat in sandwiches, curries and stews.

• Don't shy away from paying a few pennies more for quality. Nine times out of 10 you will be buying a product where it is more economical in the long run. Quality bacon and chicken shrink less when cooked as less water will have been added; and spending the same amount of money on a small piece of flavoursome cheese as you would on a large, more bland, piece of cheese means that you will need less of it to satisfy your taste buds.

• Buy foods with high nutritional content. Did you know, for example, that potatoes are the largest single source of vitamin C in the UK diet? They also contain potassium, magnesium, zinc and copper - minerals essential for life - and there is more iron in a serving of new potatoes than in a portion of steamed spinach or a pint of Guinness!

• Buy locally. Building a relationship with the shopkeeper, butcher or grocer means you are more likely to be kept up to date with what is good value when you visit.

• Pick your own. What is better or healthier than being able to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables that you have selected and picked yourself? Most PYO farms are competitively priced in comparison with local supermarkets.

• Grow your own. Eating food you have grown yourself is immensely satisfying. Potatoes, herbs and carrots are easy to grow and you do not need much space to do so.

• Forage for your food. British Food Fortnight is the ideal time for blackberry picking. Also look out for juniper berries, which are particularly good with game, and elderberries, which are lovely added whole to apple pies. There are plenty of spots away from roads where you can forage.