At the crack of dawn on Hurst Farm in Godalming, Surrey, the first of the Italian courgette flowers are being harvested for delivery the same day to caterers across the country. In Dorset, husband-and-wife team Joy and Michael Michaud are tending to their Mexican and Spanish chillies. On the South Coast, forager Miles Irving is pulling up his wellies and making ready to wade into the water for some Japanese Combu seaweed.

Such sights are not traditional British farming as we know it, but these products are in demand. While there will always be carrots and sprouts, times are changing and British farmers are branching out to offer a wider selection of fresh produce - items that need no longer be imported, giving caterers the chance to cut down on food miles.