The lamb lies down

Just how did we get duped into thinking that Britain's preferred meat at Easter time was spring lamb? Those adorable fluffy bundles of joy gambolling about the fields of the green and pleasant land are not the ones adorning your plate.

By the miracle of advertising we have been conditioned into eating a product that has travelled from the other side of the world. Spring lamb yes - but which hemisphere's spring? Consulting the shelves at Waitrose earlier today it would seem that New Zealand lamb is the order of the day. Tot up the food miles on that one and you'll come up wanting in the eco-warrior stakes.

It's time to rethink our choice of Lenten dish to one that is more seasonal, more local. Your buying power can be a force for good in the saving of the planet. Please use wisely.