25.05.06
Taste challenge for local food

Can you taste the difference? That's the question visitors to the Women's Food and Farming Union (WFU) Food and Farming Marquee at this year's Royal Cornwall Show will be asked as part of a local food 'Taste Challenge'.

Each morning of the show some of Cornwall's top produce will be cooked up alongside leading supermarket equivalents. Show goers will be invited to blind taste both and state which they prefer.

Cornish Early new potatoes from the far west of Cornwall and organic Red Devon beef from South East Cornwall are just two of the products that will be pitted against popular supermarket brands in the blind tastings.

"We're confident our local and organic food will win hands down," says Angie Coombs of Taste of the West Cornwall, "but we think some shoppers will be surprised at the taste difference. Many people will never have compared local food and supermarket equivalents side by side before. Hopefully it will convert lots of people to source more of their weekly shopping locally."

The Taste Challenge will take place for an hour each morning from 10am in the WFU Food and Farming Marquee, which continues to grow in popularity with both exhibitors and show goers. The energy and enthusiasm of the Women's Food and Farming Union, which organises the marquee, has this year led to a 50% growth in floor size to accommodate the growing number of food producers wishing to exhibit there.

This year Taste of the West Cornwall and the Soil Association Organic South West have come together to present food theatre in the WFU Food and Farming Marquee. Leading Cornish chefs will be taking part in three live demos every day, when they will be cooking up a storm using local and organic produce for show goers to watch and taste.

Food theatre timetable:

Thursday 8th June
11.00am – Nik Tinny, Saffrons Restaurant, Truro
1.00pm – Richard McGeown, Couch's Restaurant, Polperro
3.00 pm – Kevin Viner, Viner's Restaurant, Summercourt

Friday 9th June
11.00am – Ben Bass, Old Quay House, Fowey
1.00pm – Steve Pitt, The Royal Oak, Lostwithiel and Jo Lado, The Palate Cafe, Kingsley
Village Shopping Village
3.00pm – Neil Haydock, Fifteen Cornwall, Watergate Bay

Saturday 10th June
11.00am – Nick Barclay, Barclay House, Looe
1.00pm – Simon Stellard, Roseland Inn, Philleigh
3.00pm – Gill Faiers, Bangor House Tearoom, Poundstock

Both Organic South West and Taste of the West Cornwall will be on hand to provide further information about where to source Cornish food and drink products alongside a record number of organic and local food exhibitors.

For more information please contact Veronica Newport at NPR on 01363 866927 or email: veronica@n-pr.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Taste of the West and Organic South West (Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) through the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Anyone considering a new horticulture, food and land based industries project is advised to speak with Martin Butler at Government Office South West on 01752 635134 before commencing development as there are now only limited funds available due to the successful uptake of funding by the agricultural sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Editor's notes:

Organic South West is a Soil Association project, part funded by the EAGGF and Defra through the Objective One Programme, to help grow the organic market in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly. They provide technical, business and market support across the supply chain to businesses that produce, process and retail organic produce. They also operate an Objective One business grant scheme of up to 50% funding for organic businesses that wish to develop their business. For more information see: www.organicsouthwest.org.

Taste of the West in Cornwall is a £5million Objective One gateway project, funded by the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF), the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and private matched funding. It is part of the Taste of the West regional food group. Taste of the West's Cornwall project includes a trade development programme, a marketing grant scheme and a capital grants scheme, available to small and medium sized food businesses which produce, sell or process foods in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. For more information log on to www.cornwalltasteofthewest.co.uk.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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