Shop local for Christmas

Once again Christmas and the summer holiday season are charging towards us with unrelenting speed so it’s time to start stocking up for the big day and the days following.

For us, that means buying food and drinks for family and friends who will be spending time with us this summer. We will be buying as much locally produced product as we can, and if it isn’t made here we will make sure we buy from local retailers rather than online.

Supporting local businesses is more important now than it ever has been. I appreciate buying local can be more costly than buying cheaper foods and drinks from supermarkets and online stores but if you are smart about how you buy then you will often get a much superior locally-produced product.

A great example Heck’s who I wrote about last month. Buying a New Zealand raised, locally produced ham may be expensive when you buy it but when you consider how many servings you get from it then it is a modestly price food.

And it goes without saying that buying seasonally available produce is not only cheaper but it’s also much better quality. I simply refuse to buy imported strawberries during winter months, as an example. Out-of-season imported produce has often been picked slightly under-ripe to lengthen the life of the product and because they are slightly unripe, they just don’t have the wonderful flavours of vine or tree ripened produce.

If you make the effort to visit local farm producers then you are buying direct from the grower or producer and getting the freshest possible produce that has been ripened to perfection.

Most supermarkets use a central distribution system where the majority of things they sell are sent to the distribution store before being freighted to individual stores. It may be an efficient model for supermarkets, but you can buy produce that is a lot fresher from local growers. Some supermarkets source local produce direct from growers, but most don’t.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the bountiful produce grown in the Nelson and Tasman regions. Our climate is perfectly suited to growing delicious summer berries and other fruits and vegetables, growers often have farm shops too. Places like the 185 PYO Farm Shop in Hope let you pick your own at certain times of the year and their strawberries are simply the best you will buy anywhere.

Connings grow a lot of their own produce but also buy in a wide range of meats and other specialty products for you to buy, the majority of which are sourced as locally as possible.

There are a couple of other specialty shops that stock huge amounts of local produce. Places like The Junction at the Old Factory Corner complex in Appleby have a wonderful selection of cheeses and other deli products. Prego on Collingwood St import beautiful European treats for Christmas to compliment their range of local and imported cheeses, meats and other products.

A new player in this specialty retail sector is Cook’s Corner. Located on the corner of the Montgomery carpark and Hardy St this is where Virginnia Thomas shows off her amazing cheese knowledge. She’s a highly regarded, and awarded, cheese master who refined her trade in Australia before returning to her hometown of Nelson. Cook’s Corner obviously has some wonderful local and international cheeses but also stocks a wide range of condiments and treats. It’s the perfect place to find a selection of treats for the foodie in your life.

You an also buy absolutely exceptional products like those hand-crafted by Craft French Pate, Neudorf Black Garlic (their new black garlic barbeque sauce is delicious), the Sausage Press and Neudorf Mushrooms from these shops as well as many other outlets around the country.

When it comes to refreshments, both non-alcohol and with alcohol, some of this country’s finest are produced in our bountiful region. From Chia Sisters and their range of fresh juices, chia seed-based dinks and their recently added selection of drinks with functional health benefits Chia Sisters have a refreshing and healthy drink for everyone.

Pete’s Natural Sodas are another favourite in our house, being lower in sugar with unrefined sugars and natural flavourings these are a much healthier soda than the ubiquitous colas sold by corporates.

Local wines and beers are as good, or better than many made in other parts of New Zealand, many producers have the awards to prove the quality of their drinks so you don’t have any reason at all for not buying locally produced beers, wines and ciders.

Of course we all want a special treat for different occasions and Christmas is the perfect occasion to treat yourself so some wickedly good chocolate from Hogarth’s or Aroha Chocolate. Hogarth’s make flavoured chocolate bars while Aroha Chocolate make exquisite filled chocolates. Both of these producers have won many awards over the years.

So, how ever you choose to celebrate Christmas and New Year this holiday season make sure you spend your hard-earned money supporting hard working local business owners.

Finally, as I have said many times, when it comes to alcohol drink less but of better quality.

Please stay safe, never drink and drive and most of all I wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday season.

Published in the Nelson Mail 30.11.2024