Good Grub

In support of British Food Fortnight, 18 September – 03 October 2010, the National Trust will be celebrating the very best of locally grown produce through tantalising tasting events across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Child Eating Fruit - photo NPTL Ian Shaw

On the National Trust’s menu are fruit and vegetable workshops, cookery master classes and food fayres, plus many more tasting events  – there’s something for all food lovers.  Here’s a selection of British Food Fortnight events taking place in National Trust properties to tickle your taste buds:

Anglesey Abbey, Gardens & Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire

A Foodie Affair, 25 September 10.30am – 4pm

Celebrate the arrival of autumnal flavour with a whole day of food related activities and find out about our link with Red2Green. Discover our allotment project and taste wholesome local produce. For those seeking further adventure, why not join in seed gathering and our grow-your-own activities.

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
For more information please call 01223 810080.

Attingham Park, Shropshire

Food Fayre, 18 – 19 September 10am – 4pm

Over 40 stalls of local, quality produce for sale ranging from pork, beef and venison to cakes, bread, vegetables, cider and chocolate…and much more.

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
For more information please call 01743 708123.

Beningbrough Hall & Gardens, North Yorkshire

Food & Craft Festival, 25 – 26 September 11am – 4pm

Our third festival of great Yorkshire food and crafts, with stalls of produce, a BBQ & hog roast, family vegetable workshops, vegetable catwalk and much more.

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
For more information please call 01904 472027.

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

The Calke Show – Plot to Plate, 18 September 11am – 4pm

Enter your home-grown, seasonal produce in our vegetable, fruit and flower show. Meet some local food producers and Calke’s chefs will demonstrate some culinary ideas.

Farmers' Market - photo NPTL Pennt Tweedie

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
For more information please call 01332 863822.

Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire

Some Like It Hot, 25 September 11am – 4pm

Peppers Day: Demonstrations will be held to show you how to grow and cook with sweet, bell and chilli peppers. There will also be a stall selling fresh produce from the Walled Kitchen Garden.

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
For more information please call 01909 544917.

Dunham Massey, Cheshire

Venison Cookery Masterclass, 30 September – 01 October from 1pm

Ever fancied venison but not sure what to do with it? Let local chef Paul Ratcliffe demonstrate how to make the most of this local, sustainable and healthy ingredient against the backdrop of our wonderful Edwardian kitchen.

Booking is essential for this event.
There is an event charge of £40 per adult.
For more information please call 0161 941 1025.

Erddig, Wrexham

20th Annual Apple Festival, 02 – 03 October 11am – 5pm

From William Tell, Granny Smith and Sir Isaac Newton to cider cookery and folklore. Come and celebrate our increasingly popular apple harvest with cider tasting apple press demonstrations dancers, games over 120 varieties of Erddig apples on show and lots more for all the family!

Booking is not required for this event.
There is an event charge of £10.30 adult, £5.15 child, £25.75 family and £7.90 group.
For more information please call 01978 355314.

Knightshayes Court, Devon

Kitchen Garden – Autumn Planting, 24 September 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Watch the autumn planting of broad beans, garlic, onions, chard and lettuces and pick up expert tips for your own vegetable patch or allotment.

Booking is essential for this event.
There is an event charge of £10.50 for all tickets.
For more information please call 01884 254665.

Petworth House & Park, West Sussex

Celebrating British Food Fortnight Supper, 18 September 7pm – 9.30pm

Our chefs will prepare a wonderful five course meal that will highlight and celebrate some of the best of British food sourced locally to Petworth House.

Booking is essential for this event.
There is an additional event charge of £45 per person.
For more information please call 01798 342207.

Stourhead, Wiltshire

Meet the Farmer, 25 September 2.30pm

Celebrate British Food Fortnight with entertaining sausage-making demonstrations by our tenant farmer Steve Harris. Discover how he manages his organic, wildlife friendly farm here on the Stourhead estate.

Booking is not required for this event.
Normal admission charges apply but there are additional event charges.
For more information please call 01747 841152.

The Argory, Co. Armagh

Autumn in the Garden, 26 September 11am – 4pm

Enjoy the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Join our team as they prepare the garden and greenhouse for autumn and winter.

Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not needed for this event.

For more information please call 028 8778 4753.

Winchester City Mill, Hampshire

Jam & Chutney Fest, 18 September 11am – 4pm

Enjoy bread making and baking demonstrations plus discover how to make jams and jellies from the hedgerow and garden.

Normal admission charges apply but there are no additional event charges.
Booking is not needed for this event.
For more information please call 01962 870057.

Tags: British food, food, local food, National Trust

Just listened to a fascinating interview! Tony Rodgers interviews Sally Fallon Morell,  author of Nourishing Traditions and Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats (co-authored with Mary Enig) and President of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Hear it for yourself: http://soundcloud.com/tony-rodgers/tony-legend-week-5-sally-fallon-interview

Tags: food, healthy eating, nourishing traditions, Sally Fallon Morell, weston a price

Festival for Traditional Nutrition

London – March 21st

Doors open: 9  Event: 10-6

£40 advance, £50 at door (Concessions Available)

The Camden Centre, Bidborough St, London WC1H 9AU

World Renowned Speakers

The Weston A Price Foundation® campaigns for wise traditions in food, farming & the healing arts, challenging politically correct nutrition & the diet dictocrats.

Sally Fallon Morell, MA, president and founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation, author of the bestselling cookbook Nourishing Traditions and an internationally acclaimed nutrition educator.

Sir Julian Rose, pioneering organic farmer, and renowned countryside and raw milk campaigner. Julian is chairing the event.  Julian will discuss campaign issues in Britain and across Europe with Jadwiga Lopata, Poland’s top countryside campaigner.  Jadwiga and Julian have campaigned successfully for, amongst other things, GMO-free Poland.

Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, founder of the Cambridge Nutrition Clinic, and author of Gut & Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), her revolutionary nutrition program for mental and digestive wellness and the treatment of depression, autism, ADD, ADHD, and schizophrenia.

Barry Groves, PhD, author of Trick and Treat, the explosive book on why conventional “healthy diets” are ruining people’s lives and making food manufacturers and healthcare providers rich.

Stalls with information & books.

Bar: Raw Jersey cow, goat and buffalo milk, milkshakes and real ale.

Website: Wise Traditions UK 2010

For more information, contact Philip Ridley on PhilRidley@hotmail.com or 02076821093

Tags: diet, farming, food, healing, health, nutrition, weston a price

“If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as the souls who live under tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson (1778)

Tags: food, government, health, nanny state

A dramatic shift in farm subsidies by French President Nicolas Sarkozy looks set to bring healthier foods to consumers in France. Now food campaigners are asking when Prime Minister Gordon Brown plans to do the same for UK citizens.

This week the French government announced that from next year it would snatch back 20 per cent of the billions of euros paid in subsidies to big grain producers and give it instead to livestock graziers, hill farmers and organic producers. The surprise move will bring real health benefits to French consumers, who are already among the healthiest and longest-living in Europe.

The small farms in line for the extra cash have one thing in common – they all raise livestock the natural way by grazing them on fresh pasture. Research evidence is now accumulating that meat and dairy foods produced this way are rich in the nutrients which protect against today’s most intractable
diseases.

These health-boosting nutrients include a range of antioxidants including vitamin E, which protects against diabetes, heart disease and cancer; omega-3 fatty acids, which protect against heart disease; and a substance called CLA, a powerful cancer fighter.

Over the past 20 years levels of these nutrients have fallen in western diets leading to a big increase in degenerative diseases, including type 2 diabetes now reaching epidemic proportions.

One of the reasons for this loss of nutrients is the growing trend for beef and dairy farmers to take their animals off their natural pastures and feed them on cheap grain in concrete yards. Thanks to EU grain subsidies Britain’s surplus of pesticide-ridden cereals is now so big that more than half of it has to be fed to livestock.

This is not only damaging to the animals and the consumers who will eventually eat the foods, it is also harmful to the environment and the health of the planet. The bold French move to strip away some of the cereal subsidies will give a boost to the nation’s health, say food campaigners.

Graham Harvey – author of The Carbon Fields which spells out the health benefits of pasturefed foods – has welcomed President Sarkozy’s action. He said: “Once more the French, who are the longest living people in Europe, have been prepared to put human health before the profits of big corporations. It’s the global pesticide companies who benefit most from subsidies to cereal growers.

“And once more the British government is failing to protect the nation’s health by standing up for consumers against powerful interest groups. As Britain faces an epidemic of obesity and diabetes that threatens to overwhelm the NHS, the politicians fail to make the connection with falling food standards.

“The answer’s obvious. If you want to live to a ripe old age, the best advice is to move to the other side of the Channel.”

Books by Graham Harvey:

The Carbon Fields: How Our Countryside Can Save Britain

The Killing of the Countryside Winner of the BP Natural World Book Prize

Tags: EU, farmer, farming, farms, food, France, French, health, organic, pasture

	Human health threatened as farm use of life-saving antibiotics increases again

Government figures just published show another big jump in the veterinary use of two of the most important classes of antibiotics in human medicine. [1]

The latest data shows that, in 2007, the veterinary use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics increased by 20% compared with 2006, and the use of cephalosporin antibiotics increased by 10%. [2] [3]

This is the sixth time in the last seven years that both fluoroquinolone and cephalosporin use has increased. In comparison with 2001, fluoroquinolone use in 2007 is up by 48% and cephalosporin use up by 138%. This has occurred despite large falls in livestock numbers over the same period. Since 2001 [4] pig numbers have fallen by 17%, poultry by 7%, cattle by 3% and sheep by 8%. [5]

With rising antibiotic resistance in human and veterinary medicine, and very few new antibiotics coming on to the market, fluoroquinolones and modern cephalosporins are two of the most effective classes of antibiotics remaining for treating life-threatening infections, such as meningitis in children, or severe campylobacter, shigella or salmonella infections. As a result, these drugs have been classified as ‘critically important antibiotics for human medicine’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO have also said that they are two of the three antibiotic classes for which there should be the greatest sense of urgency for developing strategies to preserve their effectiveness in human medicine. [6]

Mounting evidence that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are spreading from farm animals to humans has recently led the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) to run consultations on the veterinary use of fluoroquinolones and modern cephalosporins. In both cases, the EMEA’s advisory committee expressed concerns about resistant bacteria spreading from animals to humans and called for these antibiotics to be used as prudently as possible in farming. [7] [8] [9]

In contrast to the situation with fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, the latest data for overall farm antibiotic use do show a welcome 4% fall since last year, although this can be partly explained by lower livestock numbers.

The Soil Association welcomes the fact that finally the Government’s statistics also include valuable information on the relative amount of antibiotics used in different animal species. From this, it can be estimated that approximately 64% of all farm antibiotic use is in pigs, 32% in poultry, 3% in cattle, 1% in fish and less than 0.5% in sheep. [10]

These figures show the huge reliance of the intensive pig and poultry industries on antibiotics. On the other hand, grazing animals like cattle and sheep, are generally farmed less intensively, with greater access to the outdoors. As a result, they develop fewer diseases and do not need as many antibiotics.

Richard Young, Soil Association policy adviser, said:
“We estimate that a move to less intensive, more health-oriented livestock farming, could reduce farm antibiotic use by up to 75%. This would help to safeguard the future effectiveness of critically important drugs, and over the coming years, save countless human lives.

“The Government needs to get a grip on the situation quickly. Despite a warning from the House of Lords in 1998 on the veterinary use of fluoroquinolones and the increasing concern of the WHO and European regulators more recently, it has taken no effective action, and the use of these life-saving drugs is now increasing exponentially, year after year.

“We accept there are occasions when these antibiotics should legitimately be used on farms to prevent the death or suffering of large mammals like cattle and pigs. But it is quite clear that through ignorance of the long-term consequences, many vets and farmers are still choosing them just because they are modern medicines, when for most conditions there are equally effective alternatives.”

References:

[1] Defra press release (20 Aug 2008) ‘Sales Of Veterinary Antimicrobials In The UK In 2007′
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2008/080820b.htm

[2] Cephalosporins are the most modern penicillin-type antibiotics. They are effective against a large number of infectious bacteria, but because of their importance in human medicine they should be used only in limited circumstances in order to preserve their effectiveness. Although resistance to any cephalosporin is considered a serious problem, the greater concerns relate to the more modern third and fourth generation cephalosporins. The Government’s figures on the veterinary use of antibiotics, however, do not differentiate between the different generations of cephalosporins, so the figures quoted in this press release apply to all cephalosporins. Nevertheless, earlier this year the Government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate provided us with statistics showing that the veterinary use of third and fourth generation cephalosporins increased by 209% between 1999 and 2006. Fluoroquinolones are the most modern quinolone-type antibiotics. The quinolones are one of the very few new classes of antibiotics to be developed during the last 30 years. The US has banned the use of fluoroquinolones in poultry production, Finland severely restricts them and regulators in Australia have refused to allow their use in food animals entirely.

[3] Figures in Veterinary Medicines Directorate, 2008. ‘Sales of antimicrobial products authorised for use as veterinary medicines, antiprotozoals, antifungals, growth promoters and coccidiostats, in the UK in 2007.’
http://www.vmd.gov.uk/Publications/Antibiotic/salesanti07.pdf

[4] A comparison is being made with 2001 for livestock numbers and antibiotic consumption because this is the first year for which there are comparable, fully revised, livestock numbers.

[5] Figures for 2001 in Veterinary Medicines Directorate, 2007. ‘Sales of antimicrobial products authorised for use as veterinary medicines, antiprotozoals, antifungals, growth promoters and coccidiostats, in the UK in 2006.’
http://www.vmd.gov.uk/Publications/Antibiotic/salesanti06.pdf

[6] World Health Organisation, 2007. ‘Critically important antimicrobials for human medicine – categorization for the development of risk management strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance due to non-human antimicrobial use’, Report of the second WHO Expert meeting, Copenhagen, 29-31 May 2007, http://www.who.int/foodborne_disease/resistance/antimicrobials_human.pdf

[7] Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use, 2006. ‘Reflection paper on the use of fluoroquinolones in food-producing animals in the European Union: development of resistance and impact on human and animal health’, European Medicines Agency, http://www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/vet/srwp/18465105en.pdf

[8] Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use, 2008. ‘Reflection paper on the use of third and fourth generation cephalosporins in food-producing animals in the European Union: development of resistance and impact on human and animal health’, European Medicines Agency.

[9] While all European organic standards already restrict the use of antibiotics on farms (routine prophylactic use is not permitted, the frequency of therapeutic use is restricted and extended withdrawal periods are required after their use before animals can be slaughtered), the Soil Association has further limited the use of fluoroquinolones on farms it certifies. These antibiotics can only be used with the organisation’s permission, and only on individual animals. Permission to use them should be discussed in the annual health plan, but in cases where they are needed to save lives or prevent suffering, this permission can be sought retrospectively. From January 2009, similar restrictions will be introduced by the Soil Association for the use of third and fourth generation cephalosporins.

[10] The species breakdown provided in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate report is not entirely complete – 7% of the antibiotic products sold for use in food animals only are not broken down by species (there is additionally a similar amount of antibiotics sold for use in food animals and pets which is not broken down by species). Our estimate of the percentages used in each food-animal species may not therefore be entirely accurate, but it gives a reasonably good reflection of the true situation.

Tags: antibiotics, farm, farmers, food, health

Soil Association Organic Food Festival 2008
6-7 September 2008
10-6pm on Saturday and 10-5pm Sunday
Harbourside, Bristol
Admission to the Festival is £4 (FREE to under 16s and Soil Association charity members – bring your card)
For more information on the Festival go to www.soilassociation.org/festival

The Soil Association Organic Food Festival, sponsored by Yeo Valley Organic, is Europe’s largest celebration of all things organic and kicks off this year’s Soil Association Organic Fortnight, a nationwide campaign bringing together individuals, communities, retailers, restaurants, schools and organic farms.

Now in its eighth year the festival will be host to over 300 organic companies showcasing the very best organic food, drink, fashion, skincare and homeware products. Visitors will be spoilt for choice with bustling food markets, a green planet pavilion, a demonstration kitchen, an exciting talks programme, food cruises around the harbour, and an arts and entertainment fringe that includes food demos, children’s activities, and music.

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association said,
“Attending the Soil Association Organic Food Festival is truly memorable and inspiring and has become one of the highlights of my year. Meeting the producers and learning the stories behind the food you eat is a life enhancing experience. Making a commitment to buy local and organic produce is one of the most important actions we can take to build a more secure and climate friendly food future for ourselves and our children against a background of fossil fuel depletion and climate change.”

New to the festival for 2008:

• With rising oil prices fuelling our passion for local production, this year we are showcasing a wealth of organic producers and retailers within a 30-mile radius of the city with our first Local Market in Anchor Square.
• If you really want to focus on eating locally what better than your own back yard! There will be a Grow your own organic garden area featuring a Garden Café, demonstration vegetable plots, talks, and opportunities to pick up useful tips.
• Organic Live! areas across the site will include cookery demos and wine tasting and visitors can engage with exhibitors and environmental experts on a range of fascinating subjects – from their personal stories to big panel discussions on climate change and sustainable fishing. Come along and learn everything from how Transition communities are moving from oil dependency to local resilience to how to be “Self-Sufficient-ish” from Bristol twins and authors Andy & Dave Hamilton.
• For budding Jamie Olivers the Food for Life Partnership cooking buswill be in the Kid’s Zone. There will be free, 90-minute cookery sessions taking place three times a day where 7 to 11 year-olds will be taught how to make delicious organic treats.
• The festival will open on Saturday morning with the Matthew sailing towards the Amphitheatre to the sound of ‘Food Glorious Food’ sung by the amazing People of Note Choir. They will also be performing again later on Saturday on the Millenium Square stage. This will be part of a whole feast of musical entertainment throughout the site over the weekend.

Helen Taylor, Soil Association development director said:
“Every year the Soil Association Organic Food Festival just gets bigger and better. There’s something here for everyone whether you’re looking for help growing your own veg, a chance to try out a new organic beauty product, or just looking for something tasty for dinner.”

This year’s festival is greener than ever

With the introduction of sustainably sourced biofuel (from used cooking oil) to power the festival generators, and an emphasis on travelling to the festival by train, bus and ferry. To keep it green and encourage people to come by train, the Soil Association, in partnership with First Travel, are offering a 2 for 1 offer on festival tickets on presentation of proof of using First Travel transport.
There will be comprehensive recycling facilities provided by Network Recycling, sponsored by Barts Spices, and the Soil Association is supporting WRAP’s ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign with sessions in the Demo Kitchen and interactive talks – highlighting that the food we throw away is a huge waste of energy, water and packaging. Come and learn about easy ways to reduce food waste, help the environment and save money.

Tags: Bristol, festival, food, organic, Soil Association, Yeo Valley

The European Parliament has voted in favour of labelling foods containing the six food colours E110, E104, E122, E129, E102 and E124  with the words “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” The provision was added following evidence generated by research commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency, published in September 2007.

The research, known as the “Southampton Study” showed that a combination of six food colours and one preservative increased hyperactivity in a cross section of children, not just those who had been previously diagnosed with ADHD.

Foods containing the six dyes will have to carry the warning within eighteen months of the official publication of the law, expected within the next few weeks.  Any food placed on the market before the eighteen month deadline will be allowed to stay on the shelf until the sell by date has been reached. 

Anna Glayzer, co-ordinator of the Food Commission’s “Action on Additives” Campaign, which has been lobbying for a ban both in the UK and EU said, “This is in one sense a gain for the consumer, in that it should deter manufacturers from using these ingredients. Our concern is that this will be just one more thing parents are expected to look out for. Even if you do have time to check every label while you shop, you can’t vet everything your child eats outside the home, and if you are eating out you don’t even get to see labels. If we have enough evidence to issue a warning, why not take the burden off the parent and simply ban these colours? They serve no useful purpose in our food.” 

Following its April 2008 board meeting, the UK Food Standards Agency issued advice to the Government to back a mandatory EU ban on the six colours.

The six food colourings which, along with the preservative E211 Sodium Benzoate, were shown by the Southampton Study to increase hyperactivity in children:

• E102 Tartrazine
• E104 Quinoline Yellow
• E110 Sunset Yellow
• E122 Carmoisine
• E124 Ponceau 4R
• E129 Allura Red

Some examples of new products on the UK market containing the colours:

Cadbury’s Creme Egg Twister, manufactured by Cadbury Trebor Bassett conatins E110 Sunset Yellow.

Starburst Choozers, manufactured by Mars, contain E104 and E122.

Sugarfree Trident Splash Apple and Apricot Flavour Gum, manufactured by Cadbury Trebor Bassett, contains E104

Tags: ADD, additives, ADHD, EU, food, food colouring, food colours, food intolerance, labels, sweets

New online baking initiative launches to get Britain Baking

Forget days out and holidays abroad, the secret to a happy family can be found much closer to home – in the kitchen.

New research, from leading baking company Dr. Oetker, reveals a third (33 per cent) of Brits believe home bakers make better parents and 85 per cent would like to see their children taught how to cook and bake more in school.

It seems that baking represents great family bonding time (59 per cent) and over a quarter (27 per cent) of Brits say their fondest childhood memories are baking with their parents or grandparents.

However, most of us don’t have the time (23 per cent) or ‘know how’ (20 per cent) to bake and a third of us are put off by the thought of washing up afterwards (32 per cent).

In fact the average Brit bakes only 2.3 times a year (women 2.9 and men 1.6) whilst over half the nation (51 per cent*) don’t know what goes into a sponge cake and nearly two thirds (63 per cent*) can’t put together a classic English scone.

In a bid to get back to basics, encourage the nation to spend more quality time baking with the family and raise money for Breast Cancer Care, Dr. Oetker is launching www.bakemap.co.uk, an online resource of recipes donated by the British public.

Whilst the desire to bake more frequently is evident (42 per cent) given today’s busy lifestyles it is no surprise that two thirds (62 per cent) of British women bake less often than their mothers did.

Yet today’s younger generation could be asking Dad for baking tips as two thirds (63 per cent) of British men are baking more often than their fathers ever did.

So, all is not lost and given the right tools a quarter (23 per cent) of us could be enticed back into the kitchen if we had more quick and easy recipes to follow, better baking knowledge (20 per cent) and someone to bake for (18 per cent).

Fronted by busy mum and television chef Sophie Grigson, the interactive microsite will invite the nation to upload their much-loved recipes and create a virtual cake map of the UK and Ireland. However, for busy people looking for simple and easy ideas there will be a selection of tried and tested cheats and ‘quick bake’ recipes available.

Sophie Grigson said “It would be a tragedy if families stopped baking together. My mother was a great inspiration to me and I love getting my children involved in the kitchen too. I hope bakemap.co.uk encourages other families to start doing the same. There are loads of quick and easy recipes on the site so even when time is tight families can still spend some really enjoyable time together getting messy in the kitchen!”

Richard Ilsley, Managing Director (Ambient), Dr.Oetker (UK) said: “We pledge to start a new movement to get Britain baking and raise money for Breast Cancer Care. It’s a skill too important to lose and the research shows that many people want to bake but just need a little help.

“There are so many new products on the market that cater for busy people and mean you can still enjoy the benefits of baking with your family but in half the time. So what better way to spend your spare time than to bake and raise money for an excellent cause?”

Tags: baking, cakes, food, good grub, grub, happy family, pie, spomge cake

The British Asparagus Festival in the Vale of Evesham will take place between 23rd April and 21st June (St Georges Day and Midsummers Day) the “traditional” growing period for Vale Asparagus.

Starting with “The Great English Asparagus Run” on St Georges Day, and with a plethora of asparagus related events taking place throughout the Festival period, Worcestershire’s Vale of Evesham is definitely the place to be for true aficionados.

At 8am on the morning of the 23rd April, the Festival will kick off with “The Great English Asparagus Run”.

A “Beaujolais type spectacle” from the Vale of Evesham to London, the Asparagus Run will be a celebration of great English icons, with a Worcestershire bias.

The Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Mr Michael Brinton, will leave the Bell Tower in Evesham in a chauffeur driven “Morgan Roadster”, carrying a “100″ Round of the finest Vale Asparagus on a Royal Worcester plate.

This majestic departure will be to the sounds of the local Avonbank Band playing Elgars’ Land of Hope and Glory, the bells of a side of local Morris dancers and the dulcit tones of local singer, Bruno Galloway.

Upon arrival in London we have been invited by the “Enjoy England – Celebrate St Georges Day Campaign” to arrive at the Members Entrance of The House of Commons, in time for the St Georges’ Day Loving Cup Ceremony that will take place with the involvement of Miss England. The Round of Vale Asparagus will then be presented by the Lord Lieutenant to Mr Andrew Rossindell MP, Shadow Home Affairs Minister and Chairman of the All-party St George’s Day Group.

Tags: asparagus, festival, food, gourmet