George Bernard Shaw was no romantic. He once remarked that “there is no sincerer love than the love of food”. Clearly stretching a point – but there were plenty of food lovers at the Sussex Food and Drink Awards and a great deal to celebrate.
The sector is of huge importance to the UK. Farming may not be the employer it was fifty years ago but we continue to provide two thirds of all our food needs domestically and farming matters well beyond its “productive” role: the winners of the farming award spoke passionately about the role of farming in conserving our natural environment. It continues to be a sector in which new ideas thrive - as I learned this week visiting a family run farm near Barns Green which specialises in producing and marketing Linseed as a healthy food.
Although pipped at the post it was also good to have a local contender for the Farming Award from near Shipley, whose bespoke shepherd’s hut can be seen at events across the county selling their home produced Sussex Lamb Burgers.
One of the great ways Farming engages with customers is through the growth in Farm Shops and Farmers Markets, cutting out food miles and providing fresh local produce. The Horsham area abounds with local farm shops and I was delighted to see our local produce market rightly crowned the best Farmers Market. With its regular Thursday and Saturday slots and food coming from within a 40 mile radius the market clearly made as much of an impact on the judges as it does in Carfax!
At the very “top” end of UK food and drink is the thriving restaurant sector – employing 1.5million and with a turnover of £60billion. Horsham’s restaurant scene has been transformed in recent years – including our very own Michelin Starred Restaurant. It was great to see a local man, Ryan Tomkinson, from South Lodge, scooping the Young Chef of the Year Award.
Congratulations to all the winners who continue to put Sussex on the “foodie” map – which is great news and not just for the local economy!