Foodie thoughts

NO SUPERMARKET S N O B B E RY P L E A S E

Are you a Waitrose or Aldi shopper? Ocado or Lidl? M&S Foodhall or local artisanal producers?

If you want to spark a debate, one of the fastest ways is to express any kind of opinion about “cheap food”. To some, it’s an evil that means badly kept animals and underpaid farmers. To others, it’s a necessity that stands between poor people and hunger.

There’s some snobbery from the chattering classes who have never had to feed a family of four on benefits: you might recall Channel 4’s Hugh’s Chicken Run where Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall tried to persuade a struggling single mum to swap her Iceland chicken for a free range bird (with harrowing footage of battery hens in overcrowded sheds, and H F-W weeping; me too.) He ruffled some feathers but he made his point well and I’ve been cooking free range chickens ever since – and yes, they’re better all round; for the farmer, for you but also for the chicken.

Supermarket sniffiness has largely subsided. When Lidl opened in Todmorden a few years ago you didn’t see many smart SUVs in the car park. Now you can’t move for Mercs.

If you’ve got time, shop widely; Aldi for an excellent, value-for-money wine selection; Lidl for veg grown in the UK; and M&S if you’re feeling flush and fancy a treat.

But please don’t forget your local growers and makers – they need your support more than ever. Here in Calderdale we’ve got brilliant bakers, cheese makers and butchers and charcuterie producers.

But as far as supermarkets go, some folk will never be won over. A hard core Waitrose chum mocks my Aldi habit: “It’s like a jumble sale,” she said. “I can never find anything I want.” ‘Oh, I don’t agree,’ I said. “They’ve got most things – what were you looking for?” “Truffle butter” she replied. No prizes for guessing my response.