VIEWPOINT

During lockdown, a huge box of fish arrived on my doorstep late one evening: turbot, Dover and lemon sole, plaice, skate, sea bass, even an inky cuttlefish – all of them with glistening eyes and crimson-red gills. They'd been caught at 4am that morning, gutted at sea, put on ice, landed on a pontoon, packaged up and sent to my house in London – in less than a day. A fisherman friend of mine from Brixham, Tristan Northway, had started selling direct to customers – no merchants, no fishmongers – and was delivering locally, dropping off fish so fresh some were flapping (or so he tells me). He's far from alone. Over the last few months, myriad producers have been doing the same, following the direct-to-your-door path, cutting out the middleman and guaranteeing the quality of their goods. Knowing where your food comes from, and that it has had minimal artificial or human contact, makes you feel good about what you're eating. But having that confidence shouldn't be restricted to fish, meat and veg boxes

– it should apply to supermarkets, too.

Seasonality, authenticity and provenance have been pillars of our thinking at Food and Travel since day one. We care about what happened to the food before it gets to us – we want the life story. And right now, with Brexit negotiations ongoing, the British government has an ethical and moral responsibility to ensure that not only are current food standards maintained, but that they are improved, with the very best product reaching our shelves.

The chlorinated chicken debate is one example of how food standards could deteriorate if the government doesn't take a strong stance on standards. It shouldn't be down to the shopper to check the label for fear of poor farming practices; we should be able to trust the authorities to make sure that our food is of the same high standard that we know is possible, thanks to the likes of Tristan.

'KNOWING WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM, AND THAT IT HAS HAD MINIMAL ARTIFICIAL OR HUMAN CONTACT, MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE EATING – PLUS, IT OFTEN TASTES BETTER'