Take a dozen experts, all interested in Fairtrade products and local foods; add the Bishop of Oxford and leave them in discussion for an hour or two; and the outcome is positive. Fairtrade products and local food, it was decided, can sit side by side.

The consultation took place at Church House, in North Hinksey. Those attending included Jeff Alderson, the chair of World Development Group in the Diocese; Patrice Garrigues, ethical trading manager Mid Counties Co-op; Tamara Schiopu, local food group organiser; Colin Trudge, a writer on agriculture and food issues; Anne Kelaart, a farmer and national chair of the Farming and Wildlife group; and of course John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford.

When inviting me to join the consultation, too, Maranda St John Nicolle, the Diocesan World Development Advisor, explained that Oxford is working towards becoming a Fairtrade diocese, with more than 400 churches already signed up. Churches are now encouraged to serve Fairtrade products at social events and to promote the notion of Fairtrade as part of their commitment to a fairer world.

In addition, last year's Diocesan Synod debated the needs of the farming community and, as part of its ongoing support for the agricultural industry, unanimously passed a resolution urging churches to use local food, alongside Fairtrade products, at all gatherings.

But Maranda said the church was repeatedly asked about the relationship between Fairtrade and local food issues. Hence the need for discussion. Is, for example, food imported from Africa any less sustainable than food produced locally? Do British farmers use as much energy producing food in a cold climate as is needed to import food from warmer climes?

As most Fairtrade products are goods we can't produce in the UK - with the exception of honey, apples, pears, tomatoes and plums - it was finally agreed that local and Fairtrade purchases would complement each other.

Restaurateur Will Pouget, who runs the Vaults and Garden at the University Church and also the Alpha Sandwich Bar in the Covered Market, certainly believes we can shop ethically and place local and Fairtrade food together. He proved this by supplying a superb lunch at the consultation created from products supplied by Worton Organic Vegetable Garden, near Cassington, and Sheep Drove Organic farm, near Lambourne. North Aston Micro Dairy supplied the cream and milk served with the Fairtrade coffee and tea.

Speaking for the local food group, Tamara Schiopu, said that Fair Trade had been a very successful model, and that since 'fair trade' was also an issue for British agriculture, she would salute a programme through which the Fairtrade model could be applied to British food producers.

She said: "Maybe local food could then become the equivalent of Fairtrade in the UK, with appropriate certification schemes in place."

Tamara sees the church as a great platform to promote the use of local food and drink and of Fairtrade products.

"The audience is there, and it is numerous, so I am optimistic that the message of buying and cooking real food would have a fantastic chance to be spread across the parishes."

The church and one of Fairtrade's main products - chocolate - are certainly linked this weekend; for although Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Christ, it is also the day that more than 80 million chocolate eggs are exchanged and eaten at a cost of more than £520m. Unfortunately, these eggs (many of which are now created from Fairtrade chocolate) will be packed in 4,370 tonnes of cardboard and 160 tonnes of coloured tinfoil. A considerable amount of plastic goes into their packaging, too.

Perhaps one way to solve the waste problem Easter eggs are creating is to exchange hand-painted, hard-boiled free-range eggs, as was once the tradition. Or we could make our own, using Fairtrade chocolate, which really is an easy and rewarding task. Moulds to make eggs at home are now on sale in most well stocked kitchen shops.

Alternatively, one could bake an Easter cake or gift using one of the many recipes featured in The Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook, edited by Sophie Grigson (DK £16.99), from leading chefs such as Antony Worrall Thompson and Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall.

Recipes from Fairtrade producers from Africa, India and the Caribbean have been included, too, along with recipes from 100 Fairtrade enthusiasts who submitted their recipe in a nationwide competition.

Oxford's prize-winner is chef/catering manager David Naylor, from Barton, with a recipe for a mango and brazil nut tea bread.

David, who now works at Wiley Blackwell, had aimed to create something different. He said there were plenty of Fairtrade recipes made from chocolate, banana and other dried fruits, but he wanted something that no one had made before. It took him several attempts to create the perfect tea bread, but his efforts paid off handsomely.

David uses Fairtrade products at home and in the workplace as they are not only taste good, but ensure that farmers and growers get a fair price for their produce.

If you would like to learn more about Fairtrade products, you can go to www.fairtrade.org.uk. For information on food produced locally, visit your nearest farmers' market and talk to the stallholders. They have much to say - particularly those struggling to get a fair price for their pork at the moment.