The number of home cooks buying Fairtrade ingredients for their recipes has increased even in light of the country's economic problems.

This is according to the Co-operative Bank's annual Ethical Consumerism Report, which showed that spending on ethical goods has increased by 18 per cent over the past two years.

In 2009, the market was worth £43.2 billion, up from £36.5 billion just two years earlier.

"I have no doubt that this will come as a surprise to those commentators who thought ethical considerations would be the first casualty of an economic downturn," explained Tim Franklin, chief operating officer at the Co-Operative Financial Services.

Although Fairtrade produce has performed well, as has Freedom Food, fewer people are seemingly buying organic goods for use in their home kitchens.

Nielsen BookScan data recently revealed that Jamie's 30-Minute Meals is the best-selling cookbook of the year, with around one copy purchased every 15 minutes.