Seasonal or available?

With cold storage it is possible to buy some British fruit (I bought British apples the other day), so which is preferable? NZ apples in season, flown over? or British ones that have been in cold storage.

We also like citrus fruits, bananas and avocados and do buy Spanish vegetables if British aren't available.

But mainly I try to buy fairly local, or the nearest, cauliflower, broccoli, greens, potatoes etc and when British fruits become available in summer we buy them (and grow some).
I notice mushrooms seem to be mainly British again - at one time they all seemed to come from Poland.

Thank you, TerriBull. It will be a challenge!

I can't live without bananas, but if fruits and vegetables are grown in Britain, I do my best to buy those, especially things like Strawberries and other soft fruits, I try not to buy them out of season if I can help it. As far as Strawberries are concerned as they are grown all over Britain it seems, I would opt for a punnet that comes from a nearby county to me such as Kent. We are lucky in many ways in the age we live, so many, what would have once been termed, exotic produce, available now.

Heavens nearest shop 10 miles away, I'm very urban I'm afraid nearest shops 10 minutes walk away, which I grateful for as I don't always want to drive everywhere. Good luck with your move Mollie.

Apart from an order for things like dog food, washing up liquid etc,i buy locally, the farmers market, a poultry farm free range, veg from a local organic market gardener , the veg does restrict because it's seasonal but worth it

Choice is the big bonus, isn't it. Take the best of what's on offer and be thankful I think!

I'm glad of the choice to buy local and international. Actually, local doesn't come into it much unless you count anything British as local.

I do like to stick to seasonality to some extent so, for instance, I'm thoroughly enjoying spring greens at the moment alongside the root vegetables that are my winter staples.

On the other hand, my digestive system (to put it delicately ) responds best to summer fruits like blackcurrants and cherries and to totally unlocal veg like bell peppers. That influences my purchases!

All in all, I'm simply glad, and feel fortunate, to have the choice.

It's a difficult one Mollie.
Do you save the planet by shopping locally, or support cooperatives in developing countries?
I tend to favour the former, but certainly buy things like tomatoes and cucumbers from other EU countries.
I try not to buy blueberries from South America, and foreign strawberries aren't very nice anyway IMHO. But I buy fair trade bananas from the Carribean.

Good luck with your move