Covid, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis has caused the county's food and drink sector to crumble.

Produced in Kent say we need to be buying local when and where we can to save the industry from collapsing. We challenged reporter Cara Simmonds to only source meals made in the Garden of England and here's how she got on...

Spain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa – no I'm not listing out my favourite holiday destinations, these are the places where most of the food you eat is imported from.

Which seems ridiculous when there are so many products being grown right here on our doorstep. After all, we are the Garden of England.

But, last month Produced in Kent chief executive, Floortje Hoette, told KentOnline our local suppliers were struggling.

"In 2020 it was Covid, supply chain disruption and staff shortages which led many to build up debts," she explained.

"Then in 2021 we had Brexit which led to a huge increase in paperwork both for importers and exporters and the cost of additional administration. There were transport issues, hold-ups at the border and additional staff pressures, most notably in the agricultural sector with seasonal labour.

"Last year we saw the continuation of energy price rises in gas, electricity and petrol. The war in Ukraine hiked them even further.

"All those problems led to an increase in production costs. Some are now calling that rise a 'cost of producing' crisis."

Ms Hoette also championed our local suppliers and called on the people of Kent to shop more locally.

She said: "As consumers, we have to look at ourselves and ask if we do want high quality, fresh product with good welfare standards?

"If we do want to support sustainable business and care about the environment then we need to try and support local growers and producers where we can."

But even the organisation's own store in Bluewater felt the pinch, with their pop-up having to close to shoppers after 15 months.

With this in mind, I set off with my shopping list to see just how easy it was to buy local.

Normally, I do a big food shop on a weekday evening at Aldi, grabbing all the essentials and being back home in just under an hour.

My local branch is around three miles away and the whole job will take me about an hour.

So I started my quest there. How difficult would it be to keep it local in one of the UK's most popular supermarkets?

Having a little look around the store I noticed lots of Union Jacks on products. A promising start. But under closer inspection most were from the north, or didn't even have a location specified.

I popped to Sainsbury's – unusual for me – and returned empty-handed once again.

After having no luck at the big supermarkets, I turned my attention to local farm shops in my area.

Not many came to mind, and living in the centre of Maidstone it was highly unlikely a Kent produce store could afford to be slap bang in the middle of the High Street.

So I ventured a little further out, my first stop being The Little Marden Farm Shop & Country Store – roughly 20 minutes (9.6 miles) away.

As I headed out of town, the busy roads turned into peaceful country lanes. I even passed a field full of sheep and lambs...slightly ironic I thought, as I might be tucking into one later.

Walking along the high street I was told by an older local resident that the building used to be a village court, and the store room a lock-up.

"Before my time of course," he joked. "The shop opened last April and is very popular with everyone – I use it all the time for my local produce."

After a history lesson and glowing review I headed inside. The shopkeeper was very friendly and entertained all my annoying questions about each item.

A lot of the food was from Sussex, but they had honey and jams that were made down the road.

It was very busy for a weekday, with people popping in and out – it's a shame it was only open until 2pm the day I went.

I bought dry cured bacon (£3.84) and hog sausages (£3.07) from East Sutton Park, a women's open prison and young offender's institute.

The inmates are taught farm work, horticulture, meat processing and catering.

I also bagged three 'washed white' potatoes (78p) from Thanet and Kentish Blue cheese (£4.32) from Kingcott Dairy in Staplehurst.

Next stop was Loddington farm shop in Linton – only 6 miles from me and a 15 minute drive.

Located on a farm with other independent businesses, it felt like a real community and had lots of produce available.

Vegetables were next on my list, but hopes were dashed when the cashier told me that Kent doesn't grow any at all.

"All veg is sourced from up north, like Lancaster," he said. "It's due to the soil. We specialise in apples, pears and plumbs."

Despite this, I managed to purchase Barradale Eggs (£1.79) from Headcorn, semi-skimmed milk (£1.60) from Hinxden Dairy, Benenden, and 'Kent Crisps' (£1.98) from Canterbury.

They were even selling their own apple juice (£3.25), called Owlet, all grown and pressed on their farm. You can't get more local than that.

I have to admit, I started to feel more comfortable knowing exactly where my food came from and slightly better about myself – even though I was spending more cash.

My last farm shop was the very originally named Farmer's Farm Shop, found along Tonbridge Road.

This was right under my nose, being only 1.7 miles away – a five minute drive from my home!

It is part of Little Court Lodge Farm, who also grow their own apples, as well as strawberries and raspberries during the summer months.

Still without any fruit or vegetables, I made that my final mission.

I grabbed a large bag of apples (£2.25), a loaf from Plaxtol Bakery (£2.60) in East Peckham, and a jar of 'Cathy's Cinnamon Marmalade' (£4.20) from a lady in Teston.

"She makes and bottles the jams herself, and only lives down the road from us," the shop assistant explained.

"We normally would have spinach and little gem lettuce from Laurence J Betts in West Malling. However, due to the time of year, he is having to import the leaves from Spain or Italy.

"We also produce our own strawberries, but it is just the wrong season at the moment."

After spending a couple of hours out on the road – travelling a total of 20.9 miles – I gave up on trying to find some leafy greens and headed home with my purchases.

Feeding both myself and my dad, I was able to make two dinners, two lunches and a breakfast, which lasted three days.

Whilst I am sure many people would love to support local growers like Ms Hoette from Produced in Kent advocates, there are some factors that make it easier said than done.

I found out the hard way that one of the problems surrounding shopping locally is the availability through the seasons.

Due to good old British weather, during the winter months you just can't get certain produce.

While cooking, I had to add extra vegetables and tomatoes to my 'Kentish' meals. Both I assume were imported in from a sunny European country.

You're also limited as to when you can pick up things. Nipping in a farm shop on your way home from work isn't an option as most of them closed by about 5pm – when most people are only just finishing work.

The upper hand the supermarkets have is the convenience. My quick trip to get everything I need for a week turned into a 20 mile round trip to get what I could for a few days.

It was a nice adventure for me, but I can't imagine parents with their children trekking out of their way to find simple, daily meals to feed their picky angels.

And most won't be able to ignore the clear cost difference, especially in the current cost-of-living crisis.

The 11 items came to an eye-watering £29.68, with my Aldi equivalents costing less than half, at £13.22.

But there's a reason your paying such a high price.

The difference in quality is clear and the service you get is something your supermarket staff don't have the luxury of offering.

The bacon rashers were very thick and didn't spill out a disgusting amount of water when cooked, the eggs looked brighter, and the juice was so crisp you could tell no additives were involved.

I found myself stopping and taking time to chat to the shopkeepers about each item – learning about where they come from, how often they get sent the produce and what they recommend.

It felt more of a relaxed, pleasant and comforting experience, compared to being robotically told 'do you want a bag with that?' by a cashier.

If you are wanting to support your locals without breaking the bank, I suggest dipping your toe in every now and then.

I can happily admit that I will be buying the odd bloomer or blue cheese, but more as a special treat than a weekly purchase.

It will definitely make you feel like you are doing your bit for both your community and the planet.