Go #Local4Lent

Well I've written about a lot of unexpected things over the past few weeks, from horsemeat to loo roll, tartan trollies and romance at farmers' markets, but never did I think my blog would stretch to religion.

I'm not the religious type you see, but it's Sunday - supposedly a day of religious contemplation - so it seems like a fitting time to talk about two ladies who have started a brilliant movement called Local4Lent.

Charlotte and Zana started the initiative through Twitter, and it was through that same medium that the concept grew and grew. It's a simple but brilliant idea - rather than giving up chocolate or crisps for lent, it encourages people to make a more meaningful commitment and pledge to support their local businesses and economies by shopping local for a month instead.

The power of the Local4Lent movement was so strong that it ended up culminating last year with a big event at The Corn Exchange in Leeds, and this year the idea is again getting a lot of interest already on Twitter.

But what if you're not religious? After all, Lent is primarily a Christian period of prayer and penance for a period of around six weeks until Easter. 

Christians aren't the only ones who undergo periods of self-denial; Muslims observe Ramadan and Buddhists regularly take part if periods of fasting, meditation and reflection. So I would argue there's nothing to stop us non-religious types from also taking part in periods of abstinence and personal development for the greater good - especially it it's to the benefit of our local communities.

I have no idea whether Charlotte or Zana are religious, but Zana sums up their motivations behind Local4Lent perfectly on her blog. She writes: "The most important thing for me is the relationships you are able to build up with your local business owners... it's so lovely to know where your money is going and that it is supporting our local community and keeping small businesses strong, not just some big money-making supermarket."

Clearly these ladies and I are very much singing from the same hymn sheet, so if the idea of going a whole year without supermarkets makes you balk, why not try quitting them for lent instead? Who cares if you're not religious - or that lent actually technically began several days ago? When there's so many benefits to be had, does it really matter?

Go on, see if you can go supermarket-free until Easter. You'll be supporting your local businesses and farmers, meeting loads of lovely people in your local shops which will soon make you feel much more connected to your local community, and having such a good time in the process. I know it takes a little more planning, but take it from me, going supermarket-free is really good fun. And your palate with thank you for it too as you'll end up trying to fantastic new foods and recipes - you can forget about dodging those horsemeat burgers for a few weeks.

As well as advocating the local shopping movement, Local4Lenter Charlotte is a mean cook and there's loads of fab recipes and thoughts on shopping local on her blog Preston Blumenthal (lovely name - she lives in Preston). I think knowing how to cook goes hand-in-hand with avoiding supermarkets, because you need a bit of confidence to know that the raw foods you're buying, such as meat from the butchers and raw vegetables, can be made into a passable meal. But really it's a lot easier than you think, and with so many blogs and website's like Charlotte's out there there's really no excuse not to give it a try.

In the words of Mrs Doyle (who certainly was of the religious bent), ah go on, go on, go on... go #Local4Lent.

(And if you're on Twitter you can follow the hashtag for loads more inspiration).