One of the things I love about living in the country is the fact that we all feel so much more connected to the seasons. It’s easier to get seasonal produce here and – crucially – to know what is seasonal. The more we grow in our garden, the more we start to be aware of what is best to buy – and cook – now.

One of the things that always reminds me about local produce and seasonal items is the Harvest Festival. We are lucky that they do this on the local village farm each year, complete with hay bales for pews, dogs and horses in the aisles, chickens wandering about, everyone in wellies and warm coats, some singing from the local school children and a sermon on something fitting – this year, the production of bread with a presentation on wheat from the farmer – followed by a hearty Ploughmans’ lunch afterwards.

You can’t get more wholesome than that. It’s a great way to remind us how our food is produced and how much we owe to our farmers, who continue to work incredibly hard against ever increasing financial odds. We do what we can to support local farmers here, and things like this not only serve to reinforce that, but also, I hope, help the next generation to remember this too.