Therese Coffey has told Brits to eat turnips in order to help ease the shortage of fruit and vegetables across the United Kingdom.
Speaking in parliament today, the environment secretary urged Brits to consider home-grown foods as supermarkets impose rations on imported produce.
Tesco has followed Aldi, Asda and Morrisons in introducing customer limits on certain fresh goods as shortages leave supermarket shelves bare.
The UK’s biggest supermarket has introduced a temporary buying limit of three items per customer on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers as a precautionary measure.
Speaking in the Commons, Tory MP Selaine Saxby suggested seasonal eating would solve the issue, saying: “The supermarkets are still importing far too many products for us and… actually we should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers.
“And if we were actually to move to a seasonal line of eating, many of these problems would be avoided… there are great food products available from local farmers at this time.”
Coffey replied: “It’s important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.
“A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I’m conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world try to satisfy.”
Pictures of Blackadder started circulating on social media shortly after.
The hardy veg is a prominent feature in the show, namely owing to its often phallic shape.
For those looking for recipe inspiration, here’s Baldrick’s Turnip Surprise:
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