I think most people would say ‘yes’, and I think, is one of the common misconceptions holding back the growth of local food sales. If you buy food in a supermarket, on average, 91p in the pound goes to the middle man and retailer. If you buy local food direct the full pound goes to the farmer meaning his prices should be competitive. Obviously farm shops have running costs, but overall as long as there are reasonable sales, local food should be able to compete with the big shops on many product lines.

What I find annoying is that where farm shops are cheaper they do not tell their customers and many leave the shop thinking they have paid too much.

So ask your local farm shops about price next time you visit, and tell them to make it more obvious if they are cheaper. And please let us know your thoughts by clicking on ‘Comment’. If you would like to feed back on your local producers for the benefit of other local customers use the, ‘rate this producer’ by clicking on the producers you have visited on the BigBarn map.

Customer focused businesses improve their service, the more you talk to your local producers the better their service will become.

Did Delia really want to write another book or was she pushed by her management team, or even, a duty to Norwich FC supporters. Does she really believe she needs to ’save us from the tyranny of locally sourced organic produce and TV cooks we can’t hope to emulate’ (Telegraph 16/2/08). And that we should use frozen ready made mashed potato and tinned minced lamb, or is that all for the PR?

Is she recommending we buy our ingredients from supermarkets because she honestly believes they are the best place for food, or is there a book selling deal?

‘Delia’ is a big brand and brands have the power to make big profits, especially with the right PR. I think it is a shame when someone of Delia’s age and wealth does not use her power to do some good rather than be persuaded to maximise profits.

Perhaps I am wrong maybe getting people to cook even the simplest of meals is a good thing, and that the more PR she gets the more books are sold and the more people start cooking. Certainly a valid argument but wouldn’t it be better to give a more complete story, including a recommendation on where to buy the best food?

She admitted in a radio interview I heard that she was confused by the mixed messages about food in the media and buys her ingredients depending on the way they look, surely a chef is more interested in taste? And surely buying local clears this confusion by being able to ask the grower about the produce. About; freshness, taste, price, trust, variety, growing method, seasonality, local wildlife, or next years crop. Try getting that information at the supermarket.

So I think Delia, should use her power to recommend local, and not try to be different to all the other chefs. She should have the BigBarn map on her website so more people can buy local, get better food as well as encourage farmers to grow a wider range of foods.

If you agree email enquiries@deliaonline.com with the message ‘I really like your website but know it would be even better if you recommending local produce and have the BigBarn map on your website. The map is free and you will be encouraging British farmers to grow more good food.’ Or add your opinion or comment in the green box below.

It’s almost impossible to say that you’re having oysters for dinner without eliciting a knowing, raised-eyebrow from someone, especially at this time of year. But is there any truth in the oyster’s fame as an aphrodisiac? Well, oysters contain very high levels of zinc, and as zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive impact on libido, the answer is probably yes. Of course that doesn’t mean you have to dig out your leopard-skin pants and put some Barry White on every time you eat them, but the option’s there.

Oysters, so the saying goes, should only be eaten when there’s an ‘r’ in the month. So that’s from September to April. Purists will tell you that the only way an oyster should be eaten is raw – possibly with a bit of lemon juice – but actually, oysters can be grilled, poached or steamed, too. There are two types to watch our for: Rock and native. Native oysters are generally reckoned to be the best and you should be eating them as fresh as possible, so either buy them live and shuck (open) them yourself, or get your fishmonger to shuck them and eat them as soon as possible. A dead, shucked oyster that has been lying around for too long will only leave you in the mood for one thing – and it won’t involve leopard skin pants and Barry White.

Food, glorious food! Bit of a bad time of year for it right now. February and March typically see the last of our earthy, firm root vegetables. No more wonderful, crispy, sweet and crunchy parsnips, edges flecked deep brown, to serve alongside that wobbly pink roast beef and creamy white horseradish. No warming squash curries, velvety and unctuous with piles of brown rice, no vivid buttery mashed carrot and swede flecked with black cracked pepper. Shrove Tuesday would have traditionally been the last day when all the rich food stuffs were used up, as stocks would have been dwindling and the autumn’s supplies would have been on their last legs – pumpkins will last some months in a darkened storage room, but even now they would certainly be past their best. But it’s not all doom and gloom. A well-stocked store cupboard can yield some wonderful meals. Don’t be shy about using tinned fruit – pears are especially good. You can also rustle up fuss-free puddings in a flash – assembling them in minutes is somehow very satisfying. No rushing around the kitchen, sprinting to the shops because you don’t have enough eggs or sugar, or you’ve only got normal flour but you need self-raising.

>Here are a couple of trouble-free store cupboard puds that feature regularly on the table in my house. I have a bit of a ratafia fetish; please forgive me. You could always replace them with ginger nuts.

Pears with amaretti ice cream and chocolate sauce

Serves 4
2 tin of pear halves
5 amaretti or ratafia biscuits
a small tub of good vanilla ice cream
100g chocolate
100ml water

Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften for ten or fifteen minutes. Crush the amaretti biscuits with a rolling pin – a couple of bashes should suffice, and give you a nice, uneven texture. Fold them into the ice cream and pop it back in the freezer to firm up – a matter of 20 minutes or so. Make the chocolate sauce by bringing the water to boiling point, breaking the chocolate into small pieces and dropping it in. Stir, and remove from the heat. Keep mixing until it is completely dissolved. Put two pear halves on each plate, a big scoop of the ice cream and a drizzle of the hot chocolate sauce.

Peaches with Lemon, Cardamom and Pistachio Yoghurt

You could use any nut you like – just break the larger ones up. Make sure you don’t use salted nuts. It would be a disaster.
Serves 4
2 tins of peach halves
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbs honey
1 large tub Greek yoghurt
2 cardamom pods
a handful of unsalted pistachios

Mix the honey, yoghurt and lemon zest. Bash the cardamom and remove the black seeds. Add these to the yoghurt. Serve 2 halves per person, spooning over the yoghurt, sprinkling over some pistachios. To finish, trickle over a little extra honey.

© William Leigh

Forget the naff cards and imported fragrance free roses, show the person you love you really care with a romantic meal. Here are a few ideas from BigBarn, please click on ‘comment’ with your foody valentine ideas and stories, good or bad.

Breakfast
I am a bread maker and encourage my son to eat my bread by making rolls made in to an ‘A’ for Alfie. The same can be done for your loved one, simply make your dough and roll it in to a long sausage. Then make your heart, arrow and message. Don’t forget to leave room for expansion as the dough rises. This needs to be done tonight and then put in the oven early tomorrow to be ready for breakfast in bed!

Lunch
A big bowl of winter vegetable soup with a piece of toast, cut in to a heart shape with grated cheese on top. Or, a heart shaped home made beef burger in a heart shaped roll. Or, a heart shaped home made pizza. Yes, you get the idea, anything home made and heart shaped!

Supper
A time for some aphrodisiac foods. Start with Oysters with rocket salad. Follow with lightly roasted, carrots, fennel and broccoli with a sprinkle of fresh ginger and garnished with sweet basil. And finish with some fruit and chocolate. Accompany all this with a nice bottle of wine and do your bit for the environment by saving on washing up and eating off your partners tummy.

I hope you have lovely valentine’s day.