English countryside

Eating for England

A link up with Food from Britain sees this year's programme of FDA study tours offering members a taste of the regional riches across the country.

As delegates at the recent FDA conference discovered, the provenance of food is one trend that is here to stay, with consumers and the industry alike looking for premium products sourced from passionate producers.

The FDA has teamed with Food from Britain (FFB), the market development consultancy for British food and drink producers, to tailor make a programme of study tours for 2007 aimed at bringing food developers together with regional producers.

Each month members will be given the opportunity to join different tours taking them into the heart of England's finest food and drink producing regions and giving them the chance to talk directly to the people creating the products. They will hear first hand how the businesses are run and taste for themselves the unique flavours available in the area.

The programme of taste tours will kick off on March 27 with a visit to the north east of England hosted by FFB's regional food group Northumbria Larder, which represents producers in Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Tees Valley.

The region is renowned for producing quality food and drink - from meat, fish and cheese to bread, cakes and preserves - and the trip will begin at Northumbria Larder's headquarters in Hexham.

The day will incorporate visits to local companies to see how their food is produced with a chance to sample as much as possible. These companies include: James Ross & Sons, which is passionate about pickles and accompaniments; Northumberland Cheese & Blagdon Farm Shop, which produces mouthwatering local cheese; Artisan Foods at Blaydon, a family business producing hand made patisserie, fresh ice cream and fruit sorbets; and Swallow Fish, a long established family business which still uses the last fully operational 19th century smokehouse in Seahouses and runs a shop offering a selection of locally caught fish that was acclaimed on the Floyd Around Britain BBC TV series.

Lunch at Jesmond Dene House will complete the Northumbria experience. The historic hotel and restaurant is the domain of the north east's hero chef Terry Laybourne, who will be on hand to talk about the value of regional sourcing and to offer insight into how he creates his menu of flavoursome food from impeccable local sources.

Delegate places are available on a first come, first served basis, at a cost of £50 for members and £100 for non members. To book your place contact Vanda Vokes on 0870 7434001 or vandav@dewberryredpoint.co.uk.

Deliciously Yorkshire

Produce from the neighbouring region of Yorkshire will be tried and tested in April as the Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFGYH) hosts the second study tour.

With plans to visit a rare breed meat producer and traditional cheese maker before sampling local fare at one of the region's best gastro pubs, this trip promises to demonstrate that there's more to Yorkshire produce than puddings and Pontefract cakes. From York ham, Wensleydale cheese, North Sea turbot, Whitby crab and Yorkshire venison, to award winning rhubarb, farmhouse bread, cakes and yogurts, the food on offer lives up to the regional brand - Deliciously Yorkshire, says Elisabeth Halsall from RFGYH.

"There is a really strong following for Yorkshire food and drink. We recently measured consumer awareness of our Deliciously Yorkshire brand and found it was at 18% awareness regionally, with national awareness at 10%. I'm sure FDA members will quickly discover the benefit of promoting Yorkshire produce on their menus."

"Yorkshire offers a diverse range of products and producers but they all have one thing in common - passion for quality products, and that will undoubtedly come across during the visit. It's evident in the time the producers spend caring for their products, from rearing animals in the correct way to handmaking cheese or cakes using ingredients sourced from Yorkshire wherever possible," adds Halsall.

"Yorkshire offers a diverse range of products and producers but they all have one thing in common - passion for quality products, and that will undoubtedly come across during the visit"

FDA study tours 2007

March 27 Northumbria Larder
April Deliciously Yorkshire - RFGYH
May Heart of England
June South East Food Group
July Taste of Anglia
August East Midlands Fine Foods
September Food From Britain - protected food names in the west country
October North West Fine Foods
November Taste of the West

Photography Shutterstock