British Food Fortnight will be taking place from 19th September – 4th October and the Hampshire Farmers’ Markets will be promoting all the benefits of buying local, in season, fresh produce from a wide range of Hampshire producers. The fortnight aims to promote all that is good about homegrown British food and Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Business Manager Alex Handford commented: “It is a wonderful opportunity for shoppers to come and explore our markets and discover the vast range of delicious, high quality, affordable, award winning British food and drink from our Hampshire producers.”
“British Food Fortnight is promoting the well known fact that eating fruits and vegetables in season is good for you and contains the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of the year. British food travels far less from farm to shop and clocks up even less mileage when it is just being transported within Hampshire, ensuring a lower carbon footprint. So we can confidently claim that eating local British produce, especially from Hampshire is also of great benefit to the environment. Supporting British food is also important in ensuring the long term viability of our producers and British farming,” continued Alex Handford.
British Food Fortnight Celebration and Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Awards Dinner
The highlight of the fortnight for the Hampshire Farmers’ Markets will their British Food Fortnight Celebration and Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Awards Dinner, to be held at the Brookfield Hotel at Emsworth on Tuesday, 22nd September. The event will see a Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Members receiving awards, as voted for by the public, where awards will be presented for The Best Food Product, The Best Drinks Producer , The Best Food to Take Away and The Best Personality from the wide range of suppliers who sell locally sourced produce at the HFM’s regular venues across the county. This year there will be an additional new award – the HFM Best Food Initiative Award, as decided by the HFM Board of Directors. (The closing date for voting is 7th September and the public can either vote on-line on the HFM website or on voting forms available at the markets.)
Hampshire food writer to present awards
The HFM awards will be presented by well know Hampshire food writer Penny Ericsson, author of ‘Meats, Eats, Drinks and Leaves’, a celebration of the best of Hampshire food. The featured chefs and restaurants in the book also helped to raise funds for the Pelican Cancer Foundation. Penny is also the author of ‘The Chemo Cookery Club’ – a book of recipes to help cancer patients.
Tickets for the dinner will be available for the general public who want to savour the food created with produce from the Hampshire Farmers’ Markets producers.
Additional British Food Fortnight Events
Other special British Food Fortnight events that the Hampshire Farmers’ Market are involved in include the Emsworth Business Association’s special Business to Business event ‘Bring Home the Harvest to Businesses’ to be held at the Brookfield Hotel on Monday 28th September between 3.30pm and 7.30 pm.
Local Primary Schools
The Hampshire Farmers’ Market is also involved in an education initiative in local primary schools and will be running workshops and demonstrations about buying and preparing local produce.
MacMillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning – Friday 25th September at The Brookfield Hotel
Hampshire Farmers’ Market has sponsored and made many of the cakes on offer.
British Food Fortnight Events at HFM Markets across the county
A number of other events and markets are planned within the British Food Fortnight, with the launch of the event on the 19th September at the Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Emsworth market, followed by HFM markets at Southsea on 20th, Ringwood on 26th and their renowned Hampshire Hog Day on 27th. The fortnight concludes with Hampshire Farmers’ Markets taking part in the Winchester Cathedral Harvest Festival on 3rd October and the not-for-profit community interest organisation will also have their regular markets on the last day of the fortnight on 4th October at Petersfield and Romsey, plus at HFM’s Hampshire Hog day on 27th September.