Bringing you the latest news on British products in the supermarkets and other major items of interest about British food; here is our round-up for December.

• It's all about Brussels sprouts this December! Thanks to the unusually warm weather there is a bumper crop of sprouts in shops.  20 per cent bigger than normal and particularly sweet and flavoursome!  Sales of sprouts have risen in recent years, with 40,000 tons already sold this year! And that's not all – farmers are getting inventive, launching stronger flavoured red sprouts in Morrisons and M&S to add a splash of colour to Christmas dinner. Red sprouts are said to contain higher levels of Vitamin C than the traditional green sprouts. The Morrisons variety is sourced from Lincolnshire and will be available until January; the M&S variety is also grown in the UK and will be available until the end of December.


• The Women's Institute has launched its own food range! Hoping to create ‘the closest thing to homemade’ the range includes jams, chutneys, biscuits and flour. See wifoods.co.uk


• Speciality birds such as pheasant, partridge and wild guinea fowl have become the fastest growing meats on sale in the UK as more Brits seek roast dinner alternatives.  Tesco has seen demand soar by a staggering 100 per cent in the last six months. And Morrisons has joined the game and is stocking pheasant and partridge for the first time!


• ASDA has announced that its fresh Chosen By You sliced bread reaches the shelves in five hours from when its team of bakers begin mixing the dough, which is said to be 19 hours faster than other UK supermarkets.


• The British egg industry has launched an attack on the government for not doing enough to protect domestic producers against competition from illegal imported eggs. The uproar comes after the Food and Farming Minister said the UK would not impose a unilateral trade ban on shell eggs and liquid egg products from EU states that were not fully compliant with the EU-wide ban on ‘battery’ cages which comes into effect on 1 Jan 2012.


• Meanwhile, British Lion Eggs will be launching a ‘Think Outside The Box’ campaign next year to encourage consumers to make more of eggs in main meals and buy packs of 12. The www.eggrecipes.co.uk website will launch in January and feature a collection of recipes which together use up 12 eggs. 


• After decades of being off the shelves, mutton is back in supermarkets! Waitrose is now selling Duchy Originals mutton chops, rib and shoulder joints.


• The British Leafy Salads Association is launching a national grow your own salad scheme for primary schools in spring 2012. The project will complement the National Curriculum and is targeted at the young parent demographic, aiming to reinforce to schoolchildren and their parents where their food comes from.


• The Tesco online website now features dedicated ‘counters’ offering a selection of specialised products – from a cheese counter to a fishmonger to a butcher. See this link. Although other retailers already offer fresh food online, Tesco is the first supermarket to do so on this scale.   


• Whisky exports are booming! Scotch exports have increased to nearly £3bn in 9 months to September – a 23 percent rise since the same period last year!


• EBLEX is offering Christmas kits to farm shops. The kits include posters and banners to help promote beef and lamb sales over the Christmas period. Click here to order yours today.


• The European Commission has come under fire for failing to adequately promote and protect PGI and PDO products such as Jersey Royals and Blue Stilton. A study concluded consumer recognition of the scheme was low – citing a 2008 survey of 16,718 consumers, revealing only 8% recognised the PDO and PGI symbols.


• Gin drinkers rejoice! The juniper, with its fragrant fruit, is being revived in Britain. Juniper berries are the essential flavouring ingredient in the clear spirit. Juniper numbers have declined over the years with many southern English counties having lost 60 to 70 percent of their population.  Although the bush may be undergoing a revival, many leading distilleries are still reliant on foreign imports to meet the requirements of a booming gin industry.


• The Happy Egg Co owner has launched a new brand of eggs – Posh Birds. The range is available from Tesco and comprises duck and quail eggs. Aside from flagging up the eggs' free range and free to fly credentials, Posh Birds packs also carry information about the breed of bird behind the eggs.


• Finally, it has been revealed that The Department of Work and Pensions only source 11 percent of their food from UK producers. And government standards as a whole regarding eggs, coffee and milk in the public procurement sector are lower than those at McDonalds!  So lots of work for Love British Food to do in 2012!

Seasonal foods at their best to look out for in the supermarkets this month: 
Vegetables: beetroot, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes (maincrop), pumpkin, radishes, rocket, salsify, shallots, spinach, swede, turnips and watercress.
Fruit: apples,medlars, pears and quince.
Herbs: chestnuts, chives, coriander, mushrooms (cultivated), mushrooms (wild), parsley (curly), and sage.
Meat: beef, chicken, duck, goose, grouse, guinea fowl, hare, mallard, partridge, pheasant, pork, rabbit, turkey, venison and wood pigeon.
Fish: brill, clams,cockles, cod, coley, crab, dab, haddock, hake, halibut, john dory, langoustine, lemon sole, mackerel, monkfish, mussels, oysters, pollack, plaice, scallops, sea bass, sea bream, skate, squid, turbot and winkles.
See at the touch of a button all the British produce currently available in the supermarkets - [search Want to Buy British by product or by supermarket].