DEFRA secretary Elizabeth Truss has hit out at importers of non-British foods which can be grown in the UK, saying that food and farming is now one of our “biggest success stories”.

She told the Conservative Party conference on Monday: "When it comes to British food and drink we have never had it so good.

“However, it is a disgrace that we import two-thirds of our apples, nine-tenths of our pears and two-thirds of our cheese.

“From the apple that fell on Newton’s head to the orchards of nursery rhymes, apples have always been a part of British life and I will not rest until the British apple is back at the top of the tree.

“It would appear that the British have an inferiority complex about some fantastic British dishes – but food and farming are now hugely successful.”

She said that a Conservative government would aim to ensure there was more British food in Britain: “I want our children to grow up knowing the taste of a British apple, of Cornish sardines, Herefordshire pears, Norfolk turkeys, Melton Mowbray pork pies and, of course, black pudding.”

Mrs Truss said almost 600 new markets have been opened overseas, adding that exports had increased by more the £1bn in the last four years.

"We are producing more varieties of cheese than the French and we are selling tea to China – Yorkshire tea.

“When it comes to British food and drink, we have had never had it so good.”

On her broader environment remit she pointed to measures including the planting of more than one million trees and greater funding for flood defences.

She said: “The Conservative Party’s approach is not about targets and turbines, but a practical environmentalism, where a strong healthy environment is part of a strong, healthy economy and our long-term economic plan.”