Many years ago when I was writing an article that I hoped would encourage people to buy local food, I remember being asked if the readers would understand the term ‘food-miles’, which I had used to state my case.

Now this term is an everyday word that’s used so frequently no one would dream of asking that question now.

Since vowing I would eat only local food during 2009, I have learned even more about food-miles. It has certainly proved an interesting journey.

There have been times when keeping to this pledge has been very difficult, and occasions when I have inadvertently eaten food produced overseas because of deceptive packaging. I have also come to recognise the importance of carrying a little magnifying glass with me when I shop, in order to read that all-important small print at the bottom of a package.

The first thing I discovered when shopping for local food was the extra time it took to check my purchases. You can’t dash round a shop at 70 miles an hour grabbing things from shelves when shopping this way, unless of course you are buying familiar products that you have already checked out.

The second thing I found was that my weekly shop was often costing me a little more than it used to. This is something I still can’t come to terms with.

Labels on bacon and ham packs certainly caught me out a few times, particularly when buying (so-called) British bacon. It was not until I got it home and examined the pack more carefully that I discovered that while it had been ‘finished’ over here, the pigs were reared elsewhere.

Eating out has proved difficult, too, mainly because the staff sometimes can’t answer my questions. Even the chefs do not always know where their products come from. I have tried, when possible, to stick to items on the menu which mention the farm from which the meat was reared when eating out, but not every restaurant states this on their menu.

Naturally, I have avoided eating at pubs and restaurants when I am pretty sure that their food is cooked from a central kitchen, then packed, frozen and delivered all over the country. It’s the price that’s usually the big give-away. Chains serving bargain basement steaks at half the price you would expect to pay very seldom boast that they are serving British products. The pubs I have used frequently because of their food ethics include The Fishes, at North Hinksey and The Fleece, in Witney, both run by Peach Pubs, which sources most of its food locally. Others are The Plough, at Finstock, The Blue Boar, in Ardington, The Lamb Inn, at Crawley, The Lamb and Flag, Hailey, The Fox, Oddington, The Woodstock Arms, Woodstock, The Royal Oak, Ramsden, The Hare, West Hanney, The Swan, Swinbrook, and The Crown, Church Enstone. Obviously there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind when I reminisce about meals I’ve enjoyed during the past year.

Farmers’ markets, farm shops and local pick your owns have served me best as far as food shopping goes, as I don’t have to examine labels when I am buying meat from the farmer who reared the sheep, cows or pigs, from which it came. And if I have picked my own fruit and vegetables from a PYO, that is about as perfect as anything gets. I will talk more of this next year and highlight some of the many local suppliers who kept me on the straight and narrow during 2009. Meanwhile, I am now preparing for a little New Year’s Day party. One of the things that will certainly be on the menu is a steaming dish of curry cooked with all those glorious spices I adore so much and have missed desperately. Avocados served with olive oil and lemon is my chosen starter. My mouth is already watering at the thought of sinking my teeth into that soft green avocado flesh flavoured with lemon juice.

Yes – I have missed lemons dreadfully, I have also missed sesame seeds, melons, Brazil nuts, grapefruit and bananas. The highlights of the year have included the home-made bread I baked from local flour, though I have not been able to sprinkle poppy seeds on the top or add walnuts when the British ones are not in season.

My main conclusion, when looking back over the year, is that my local/British food diet has been great fun, if somewhat more time-consuming and expensive than I thought it would be.

I must admit I have cheated now and again, mostly when dining with friends who did not know about my pledge. How could I possibly shun food they had prepared with love – impossible.

I have also decided that there are some tropical foods that we all love that just can’t be produced in the UK – these will be allowed back into my diet tomorrow. But as for the rest – well British is still best. Happy New Year everyone.