If you’ve read Nigel Slater’s book, The Kitchen Diaries, you’ll be familiar with the practice of shopping locally for seasonal produce. For most people the labour intensive style of food retailing is beyond their time limitations and a short sharp trip to the supermarket is the most efficient way.
Since becoming a domestic-executive I’ve been more able to adopt the Nigel Slater rules. We have a supermarket less than 3 minutes walk and the bus stop is located outside. The daily routine on an evening is to hop off the bus and in to ponder what to make for dinner that evening. There is also a butcher on the high street which also makes for a good source of ingredients.
Today, we ventured further to the new Farmer’s Market set up by the foodie group in Wellington. Every Friday and Saturday in a barn construct on an industrial estate between Porirua and Tawa (about 10 km drive from Khandallah). Because its still early spring the vegetables on offer were limited but we did get some bargain potatoes and some massive leeks which will go splendidly for soup. There were two artisan bread producers and bakers with tables groaning with cakes. The barn was humming with Wellingtonians buying their wares and also the coffee shop doing a roaring trade.
Next door in the Moore Wilsons cash and carry were the usual array of foodie goods. There is a fish market in there complete with tanks of fresh lobster. One day I’ll have the courage to buy one instead of just gawping at them through the glass.
There is no doubt that shopping at this way is more fun than the supermarket run but it will probably only be an occasional pleasure until I become once again a full-time domestic executive and can relish the pleasures of shopping locally on a more regular basis.