Zac Goldsmith has been director and editor of The Ecologist (www.theecologist.org), an environmental affairs magazine started by his uncle Edward Goldsmith, for eight years. Since 2005, he has been working with the Conservative Party to develop its green policies.

What’s in your kitchen?

I produce most of my own meat on my farm in Devon where we have Gloucester Old Spot pigs, south Devon cows and sheep, goats, and buy whatever else I need from local shops. In London we get an organic veg box from Abel & Cole (www.abel-cole.co.uk; 08452 62 62 62) and use an organic mini-market at Chelsea Farmers' Market (Sydney Street, SW3; 020 7351 4321) which I helped to start up. For fish I go to the Chelsea Fishmonger (www.chelseafish.co.uk) where Rex Goldsmith (no relation!) sells an amazing selection of fish caught off the coast of Cornwall. Neal’s Yard Dairy (www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk) is great for British cheeses. In an emergency I will go to the supermarkets, but I prefer not to.

In Devon, we buy organic poultry from Providence Farm, Holsworthy (www.providencefarm.co.uk) and we buy all our butter, cheese and ice cream from Country Cheeses (www.countrycheeses.co.uk) in Tavistock.

What’s your food philosophy?

I have always believed that buying local food is better than buying organic, although a combination is irresistible. When the distance between where food is produced and where it is consumed shrinks, the natural local market pressure on farmers is to diversify their farms, and that usually means a farm with less reliance on chemicals and other artificial props. When you buy local, you're putting money back into the local economy, where it's much-needed, you're minimising your food miles and you're probably getting much better quality food.

How have our attitudes to food changed?

Finally we're seeing the return of a British food culture with more and more people paying attention to food grown near them and also to the seasons. Newspapers are awash with news of local food awards, such as British Food Fortnight (www.britishfoodfortnight.co.uk) and big name chefs such as Rick Stein and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have done a lot to remind us how rich our food heritage and food potential really is.

What annoys you about food in Britain?

There is a feeling that Britain is a land of boring food - potatoes and mutton. But we can produce a vast array of foods. One shop - Happy Meats (www.happymeats.co.uk), featured during last year's British Food Fortnight - only sells food produced from within a 30-mile radius. The diversity and choice on its shelves is extraordinary. I think we need to try to reduce our reliance on the supermarkets, which prosper at the expense of our local food systems, farmers and the global environment.

What’s Britain’s best kept food secret?

Cheese. We think of France as the cheese country but the cheeses available from the West Country are not only of the highest quality, they are dazzling in their variety. In Devon, my nearest shop is a small Country Cheese store, which only sells local cheeses. Even my French brothers and sisters are amazed by what it has to offer. The Sharpham Estate (www.sharpham.com) in Totnes makes a particularly delicious rich brie style, Jersey cow cheese.

Do you prefer eating in or eating out?

When the house is full, I much prefer eating in, but when I'm on my own I rarely go further than the cereal cupboard.

What is the next big food trend?

We've seen an explosion in organic, and a shift towards local. The next trend is seasonal foods. When strawberries become a seasonal bonus, they are valued far more highly. I'm sure it's better for our health to change our diets with the seasons, as we have always done throughout our evolution.

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