Why our improved shopping and cooking habits should continue post-lockdown

With just nine days to go until the end of lockdown restrictions, I’ve been reflecting back on how much has changed when it comes to food shopping, due to the pandemic. For us on IndyBest, it became our top priority to help readers find delivery slots at all supermarkets, which was no easy feat.

Remember not being able to secure a food delivery slot with any of the supermarkets? Queuing outside for an age, while inside, aisles were quite literally bare? Pasta, flour and toilet roll were all premium items, stripped from the shelves. But one positive from the supermarket shortages was that it pushed consumers into the hands of local producers.

From recipe delivery boxes to top quality meat and milk that needed to be diverted as its usual restaurant buyers were forced to temporarily close, and from DIY burger kits to Michelin-starred finish-at-home packages that replicated eating out, many producers had to make changes in order to stay afloat. Those who already had a small but loyal following were suddenly inundated with potential new customers desperate to buy their produce.

For many, it’s opened our eyes to better quality. Yes, with that comes a higher price tag, but if it’s something like meat that you’re no longer buying from intensive farms that supply supermarkets and instead are getting from your butcher, albeit less regularly, it’s better quality for you, and supports your local network of producers.

Maybe you started buying vegetables from a local stall in your village, or the high street greengrocers, or perhaps you ordered essentials like milk, eggs and butter online from independent retailers. The pandemic has given us a certain degree of flexibility. Many people can receive a delivery that they wouldn’t have been around to take before, especially if it’s in a vague four-hour time slot, or contains something that needs immediately refrigerating.

It’s also given us time. Without the daily commute, we’re not getting home after 7.30pm thanks to train delays or rush hour in the car, and actually want to cook. It’s easier to pop to the shop after finishing work at a normal time, and we can enjoy thinking up what to cook that night, instead of getting another ready meal from the freezer – no judgement here though, variation is the spice of life and all that.

The past 15 months have allowed us to reconnect to our food and where it comes from, to rekindle a love of cooking again. I hope it’s a change that sticks as restrictions are fully lifted, as it makes life a whole lot better to eat good food.

Yours,

Emma Henderson

IndyBest editor