British Food Fortnight - 19th September to 4th October 2009

The eighth British Food Fortnight starts this weekend.  Running from 19th September to 4th October, the next two weeks see the biggest ever promotion of British food on our shores.  Wembley Stadium, Grey Gables Hotel in Radio 4’s The Archers, the Cabinet Office, the BBC, St Paul’s Cathedral and the National Trust are just a few of the famous establishments taking part this year.  Highlights include: 

• MORE BRITISH PROMOTIONS IN SUPERMARKETS THAN EVER BEFORE…all the major supermarkets are running special British promotions during British Food Fortnight signifying the greatest support in the history of the event. And hundreds of independent stores will be flying the Union Jack in the high street with tastings, meet-the-producer events and special offers on British food, led by Budgens official sponsor of the event.


• MORE BRITISH FOOD ON MENUS THAN EVER BEFORE…eight of the largest food service organisations led by ARAMARK, six major pub groups led by Young’s, all the chef associations, the Youth Hostel Association, Anchor Care Homes and many others are putting British food on the menu during the two weeks.


• BBC’s HAIRY BIKERS LEAD NETWORK OF 9,000 CHEFS READY TO TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO COOK …the network is made up of chefs from some of the biggest catering organisations, chef associations and pub groups all of whom have signed up to sending people into schools to teach children how to cook during British Food Fortnight. This is the largest volunteer movement educating children about food.


• EAT YOUR WAY AROUND BRITAIN…more opportunities than ever before for people to enjoy British food with food festivals in Horsham, York, Cardiff, Devon, Nantwich, Isle of Man, Abergavenny, Cornwall, Manchester, Hastings, Alnwick, Luton, Glasgow, Kent, Norfolk, Newbury, Penrith, Brighton, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; foraging walks, food trails and fungi forays; a Harvest Swap Shop and fruit and vegetable shows; ‘Bring back Granny’s Recipes’ and ‘Design a Sausage’ competitions; Mad Hatter’s tea parties and People’s Picnics; Plot to Plate cooking demonstrations and a drop-in cooking theatre; Meet the Farmer events and school trips to farms and even a ‘Dancing with Dabs’ musical fish procession!


• ACTIVITIES FOR THE YOUNG AND OLD…British Food Fortnight’s school programme is the biggest yet with prizes of Kenwood cooking equipment for the top 110 schools taking part. This year’s challenge is to use British seasonal food to design and cook a meal that contains a healthy balance of the food groups the body needs and contains at least two portions that count towards our 5 A DAY. And Anchor Trust, the biggest provider of Care Homes for the elderly, is planning lots of activities and special menus for its residents.


• IS IT BRITISH? YES MINISTER! …last year British Food Fortnight was credited with helping to increase the proportion of British food sourced by Government departments to 66%. NHS Trusts, school catering services and major Government departments including even the Cabinet Office are joining in the national celebrations this year and taking up the challenge to put British food on their menus during the Fortnight.


• COMPETIION TO WIN £1,000 CASH…to celebrate the biggest ever British Food Fortnight, the organisers are giving people the opportunity to win £1,000 in a cash draw. To enter simply go to www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/competition1000.


• WHY IS THE EVENT BIGGER THAN EVER THIS YEAR? Commenting on the huge amount of activity this year, organiser Alexia Robinson says: “Ironically, despite the tricky economic climate, this year's British Food Fortnight is the biggest yet.  People are thinking more carefully about the sustainability of the food chain and retailers and caterers know they need to respond to this.  Consumers want value for money, but value in the case of food has never been just about price - it is about taste, freshness and quality.  The best guarantee of these values is British food, produced to the highest standards in the world.  The fact that nearly every major supermarket and catering organisation is participating says it all - British food really is flavour of the moment!”

For further information and details of specific events taking place across the country see www.lovebritishfood.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

British Food Fortnight is sponsored by Budgens, ARAMARK and the Department of Health’s 5 A DAY Just Eat More (fruit & veg) programme and features the British Food Fortnight ‘Cook for Life’ Challenge sponsored by Kenwood. It is supported by over 60 organisations led by Brakes, Compass Group, Country Markets, National Farmers’ Union, National Trust, Sodexo, Tenant Farmers Association, Young’s pubs and Youth Hostel Association.

Details of what retailers are doing during British Food Fortnight:

Morrisons is hosting Best of British activities in all its stores. Activity includes food preparation demonstrations and in-store food tasting.

Asda is promoting 117 British lines during British Food Fortnight plus special offers on 100 local lines all available at £1. Asda prides itself on stocking some of the best local products in Britain.

Tesco is supporting British Food Fortnight in all its stores with promotions on counters and fresh produce aisles and sampling of locally sourced products.

Sainsbury's is launching Great British Classics ready meals and a British Autumn Roasts campaign during British Food Fortnight and reports that 2009 has been its best year ever in terms of selling British produce!

Budgens is official sponsor of the event. Many of their stores are running special British promotions during the Fortnight. Budgens is also a leader in encouraging retailers to work with local schools as part of the Fortnight's activities to help children learn about healthy British food. Every year Budgens retailers run fun competitions for the schools in their communities. This year stores are linking up with schools to invite children to design decorative Union Jack bunting featuring pictures of their favourite British food. The winning entries will be displayed in their local Budgens. See http://www.budgens.co.uk/ .

And look for 'Love British Food - it's British Food Fortnight' stickers in the meat aisles of Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, The Co-operative, Sainsbury's and Somerfield - on the reverse of each sticker people will find details of how they can win £1,000 in a free cash prize draw!

What pubs, restaurants and caterers are doing during British Food Fortnight:

Thousands of employees in some of Britain’s biggest organisations such as the BBC, Aegon, Boots, Northern Rock, Nationwide, JP Morgan, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the Ministry of Defence are enjoying British food courtesy of ARAMARK which is running special British Food Fortnight menus at over 400 of its sites. Leading sponsor of the event for the fourth year, they are also sending 50 of their chefs into schools to teach children about food and how to cook it.

A record eight of the largest food service organisations are taking part (ARAMARK, Brakes, Compass, Sodexo, BaxterStorey, NCB Foodservice, One Complete Solution, Anchor Trust Residential Care & Nursing Homes).

1,200 Sodexo sites are running special British Food Fortnight menus (an increase of 500 sites from last year! For further information please contact Mandy Van Hagen, Sodexo Tel: 01438 341400); 1,100 workplaces catered for by Compass are featuring Best of British menus during the Fortnight; 400 BaxterStorey restaurants and many more.

150 YHA Youth Hostels are taking part in British Food Fortnight with special menus celebrating the best of British produce.  For further information see http://www.yha.org.uk/foodfortnight.

Anchor Homes, the largest not-for-profit provider of residential and nursing care in the UK, is taking part for the second year.  All 97 Anchor Homes will be serving seasonal British produce during the event.  And they are running a fun competition for residents to create British meals using their favourite recipes.  The winners will have their dishes cooked for the residents of their home!  For further information contact: Simon Peyton at Anchor Tel: 0207 759 9134

Six of the biggest pub groups (Enterprise Inns, Everards, Marston’s Pub Company, Punch Taverns, Scottish and Newcastle and Young’s) have advised thousands of their pubs to put British on the menu for the Fortnight led by Young’s which is running special British Food Fortnight menus for 200,000 customers in their London pubs, see http://www.youngs.co.uk/.

John Lewis stores around the country have been running a competition for their chefs throughout the summer to design a special menu to run throughout British Food Fortnight in association with their suppliers, Brakes.  The winning 'Let's Go British' menu of Line-caught Cornish Mackerel with Horseradish Creme Fraiche and Frangipane Bramley Apple Gateau is being featured on menus in all John Lewis stores during the event.

22 Great Inns of Britain are supporting British Food Fortnight with a seasonal celebration of the best of local, seasonal game and regional produce across Britain. See http://lovebritishfood.co.uk/about-british-food-fortnight/sponsor-activity/great-inns/

Wembley Stadium is serving a 'Mash of the Day' menu to celebrate British Food Fortnight.

St Paul’s Cathedral is running a ground-breaking ‘Harvest Swap Shop’ inviting people to fill a shoe-box with homegrown vegetables, head to London’s famous landmark Cathedral and enjoy a complimentary Sunday roast in the Cathedral’s restaurant. Produce will then be used in the restaurant’s kitchen with outstanding offerings highlighted on the following week’s menu.

And Grey Gables Hotel in Radio Four’s The Archers is holding ‘Meet the farmer, cook the Dish’ sessions.