Rutland produces some of the very best of British food and drink and in a county proud of its farming heritage and desire to share the feast of local produce available, Discover Rutland has created a new illustrative map with two cycle trails to explore. Not only bursting with amazing food producers, shops and eateries, a variety of beverages also comes pouring out of this small county that lives up to its motto ‘Multum in Parvo’ meaning ‘Much in Little’.
For someone who after some summer excesses (i.e holiday, ‘one or two’ cricket teas) is trying to shed a few pounds, talking and thinking about food and drink is perhaps not ideal.
But, hey, when I can, writing about food and drink is one of my niches and more enjoyable subject matters.
And September, October and November is one of the more busier periods in the foodie and drink calendar.
So I’m getting on with it and will show restraint (any tastings, samplings or otherwise are purely in the interests of research you understand!)
Autumn marks the return of the Bring Home the Harvest campaign for British Food Fortnight, which runs from 20th September to 5th October.
Bring Home the Harvest and British Food Fortnight
When you think about it, Britain produces some of the best food and drink in the world, hence British Food Fortnight is the annual opportunity to celebrate the fact.
British Food Fortnight – which has been running since Autumn 2002 – aims to put British food firmly in the spotlight by encouraging us all to enjoy fresh, seasonal produce and regional dishes. And what better time for it all to take place than during harvest time, the traditional time for celebrating food.
The Fortnight is also home to the Bring Home the Harvest campaign, which aims to rekindle the tradition of celebrating British food and the harvest across the nation; whether it be in homes, in the streets, in schools, churches, farms, hospitals, restaurants, pubs, shops and in community centres, food will be harvested, sold, purchased, prepared, eaten and enjoyed.
Activities include
British Food Fortnight menus and promotions in shops, pubs and restaurants led by Tesco
Food festivals in more than half the English counties led by Horsham, Emsworth and Stone
Special menus and activities such as sausage making and bake-offs in care homes for the elderly organised by Hallmark Care Homes
School menus designed by Two Michelin Star Great British Menu judge Phil Howard
Seasonal hospital menus promoted by the Hospital Caterers Association.
National Trust food events happening at properties across the country, including especially chosen British recipes in selected tearooms.
Out of the county, there is the Rutland Food & Drink Festival on Saturday 13th September 2014, 10am – 6pm at Rutland Water. It’s all part of Rutland Day in the county, and I had the pleasure of visiting this great part of the country for its inaugural Festival a few years ago. A great setting and well worth the visit.
Before – and a little closer to home for me anyway, is the Rugby Food and Drink Festival which runs from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th September
(I will be blogging about this prior to and during the show)
Finally (I think), the first weekend of October – Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October will see the staging of the Melton Mowbray Food Festival, another festival I visited a couple of years back (in its previous guise as the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival). Again, a great festival with – like every good food and drink festival should have, a wide range of food and drink from local and regional producers.
Bearing in mind several of Warwickshire’s towns already have well-established events, it has perhaps been a while in coming.
But Rugby’s first ‘Food and Drink Festival’ is coming, and will run from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 September in a variety of venues and locations around the town centre
Organisers of the four day event, celebrating and showcasing the amazing variety of high quality food, drink and ‘Real Ales’ that the town and surrounding area has to offer are inviting local food and drink businesses, groups and organisations to get in touch if they want to be part of the ‘Street Feast’ food and drink festival.
The festival plans to serve up a delicious mix of food, drink and entertainment along with some tasty offers. On the menu there will be two colourful and tantalising food markets, a great selection of ‘Real Ales’, some irresistible menus, appetizing demonstrations and a few surprises along the way! All will be accompanied by toe-tapping entertainment and some fun family activities and games.
The food markets, on Thursday 26 and Saturday 28, will give visitors the chance to taste, smell and buy some tempting treats from a variety of stalls, selling a fantastic array of high quality food and drinks. There will also be plenty of displays, information and advice as well as cookery demonstrations on Saturday.
During the festival local restaurants, cafes and pubs will be tickling the proverbial taste buds and quenching thirsts with some great food and drink events that offer a delicious combination of quality food, Real Ales, Ciders, perries, wines, music and much more.
The ‘Rugby Real Ale Trail’ will be a key part of the festival and to celebrate, along with the launch of ‘National Cask Ale Week’, all of the pubs on the trail will be getting on their ‘Beer Bike’, offering a great choice of beers and peddling up a thirst! Real Ale enthusiasts will be able to follow the ‘Real Ale Trail’ throughout the festival enjoying a superb selection of beers and ciders from local and national brewers, along with some fantastic hospitality! All pubs will be offering a great range of beers to quench your thirst and delight your palate – there will also be a special festival beer so make sure you sample this too!
The festival is funded through Warwickshire County Council’s Operation Footfall Campaign.
Bearing in mind several of Warwickshire’s towns already have well-established events, it has perhaps been a while in coming.
But Rugby’s first ‘Food and Drink Festival’ is coming, and will run from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 September in a variety of venues and locations around the town centre
Organisers of the four day event, celebrating and showcasing the amazing variety of high quality food, drink and ‘Real Ales’ that the town and surrounding area has to offer are inviting local food and drink businesses, groups and organisations to get in touch if they want to be part of the ‘Street Feast’ food and drink festival.
The festival plans to serve up a delicious mix of food, drink and entertainment along with some tasty offers. On the menu there will be two colourful and tantalising food markets, a great selection of ‘Real Ales’, some irresistible menus, appetizing demonstrations and a few surprises along the way! All will be accompanied by toe-tapping entertainment and some fun family activities and games.
The food markets, on Thursday 26 and Saturday 28, will give visitors the chance to taste, smell and buy some tempting treats from a variety of stalls, selling a fantastic array of high quality food and drinks. There will also be plenty of displays, information and advice as well as cookery demonstrations on Saturday.
During the festival local restaurants, cafes and pubs will be tickling the proverbial taste buds and quenching thirsts with some great food and drink events that offer a delicious combination of quality food, Real Ales, Ciders, perries, wines, music and much more.
The ‘Rugby Real Ale Trail’ will be a key part of the festival and to celebrate, along with the launch of ‘National Cask Ale Week’, all of the pubs on the trail will be getting on their ‘Beer Bike’, offering a great choice of beers and peddling up a thirst! Real Ale enthusiasts will be able to follow the ‘Real Ale Trail’ throughout the festival enjoying a superb selection of beers and ciders from local and national brewers, along with some fantastic hospitality! All pubs will be offering a great range of beers to quench your thirst and delight your palate – there will also be a special festival beer so make sure you sample this too!
The festival is funded through Warwickshire County Council’s Operation Footfall Campaign.
The Landlocked Traveller 