Several years ago, a group of food enthusiasts from Wallingford got together to see what they could do to encourage us all to eat locally produced food and live a more sustainable lifestyle. Their aim was to build a sustainable future for the town and its people. The result was a Buy Local guide that listed food and drink producers within a 30-mile radius of Wallingford who sold their products within seven miles of the town.

Buy Local proved so popular that a third edition has now been published with financial help from The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme launched in 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme funds a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers’ markets to education projects teaching people about the local environment.

One of the main points about this guide is that none of the producers are charged for their entries; they are included because their products help us all lead a more sustainable lifestyle. As members of the Sustainable Wallingford Local Sourcing Group were aware of my pledge to eat only local or British food this year, they kindly invited me to launch their third guide, which proved a great privilege. Within minutes of arriving at the Wallingford Local Producers’ Market in the centre of town, I found myself surrounded by an enthusiastic group of people who have put in hours of work this year to write, print and distribute the guide to every household in town.

I also found myself in the company of many of the producers, who attend the market almost every Saturday at the Royal Centre, St Martin’s Street, Wallingford from 10am to 1pm.

The first person I met was young Emily Bullock whose stall was stacked high with a glorious selection of reasonably priced home-made cakes and biscuits that she had cooked herself that very morning. We laughed when I admired the apple cake decorated with slices of Bramley apples. When I complimented her on its appetising appearance, Emily explained that not only was it one of her most popular lines, but was made following one of my own recipes that appeared on this very page.

She said: “There has been an upsurge of interest in home-baked goods recently. If people don’t have time to cook cakes and biscuits for themselves, they tend to seek out suppliers like me.”

Emily explained that although she had to rise very early in the morning to get everything done, she loved every moment of the preparation. She also loved the moment when she pulled the cakes out of the oven and lined them up on the table ready to wrap and label.

“It’s always such a great feeling of achievement when I have finished baking, and particularly satisfying when regular customers seek me out to buy their favourite cakes week after week.”

Jean Semlyen, who spends her time turning locally grown fruits and vegetables into jams, chutneys and jellies, was there too. She trades under the name Church Lane Food Company.

Her aim in life is to ensure that no produce that grows in the local hedgerows or friends’ gardens and allotments is ever wasted. At the moment, she is busily turning rhubarb into jams and pickles. Soon she will be working on gooseberries and elderflowers that go together so well – strawberries and the soft berry fruits will follow.

Jean said: “I grow as much as I can myself, but get great satisfaction out of using up gluts of produce that friends don’t need.”

Hereford beef and lamb from the Northmoor Trust was on sale too. As their herds graze on the meadows surrounding Wittenham Clumps this is meat one can buy knowing that it really is local. The lamb tastes just as lamb should and the beef is tender and riddled with just the right amount of fat. Tempted by their rump steaks I enjoyed a splendid warm beef salad when I returned home. I made this by grilling the steak, and slicing it into a leaf salad, mixing the juices that ran from the cooked steak into the salad with a little R-oil, which is produced in the Cotswolds. A couple of slices of freshly baked artisan bread from Down-to- Earth, Wallingford, provided me with a perfectly balanced meal from local produce..

Actually, I ate particularly well during the following week too, as the members of Sustainable Wallingford kindly presented me with a glorious basket (pictured above) which was stuffed with examples of the goods available at the Local Producers ’Market.

It included eggs, cakes, some glorious pickles and chutneys and a bottle of wine from Brightwell Vineyard.

This amazing basket proved a fine example of just what you can buy if you are prepared to seek out local markets rather than automatically head for the nearest supermarkets. The basket of goodies certainly ensured that I didn’t have to get out my magnifying glass to check the country of origin on the food I hoped to eat.

Dorothy Cussens, who helped compile the guide, explained that Buy Local also contains information about Swap Shops and Freecycle which matches people who can use them. Reclaim and recycling units are listed too.

The guide is available at Wallingford and Benson Libraries. It can be also be viewed online (www.sustainablewallingford.org).

Dorothy also pointed out that the website is continuously updated as and when new and interesting producers are discovered. She is proud that they managed to acquire Lottery Funding and did not have to ask producers to pay for their entries.

“Everyone mentioned has been recommended, which means a great deal to all who uses it,” she said.