Posted: 19th May 2015
Seeking people with passion to bring the harvest alive for young people across the land
Love British Food and the Telegraph are searching for passionate caterers to recognise as Harvest Heroes in 2015.
The third year of the popular competition sees father and son team Raymond and Olivier Blanc join TV gardener Chris Collins as the competition judges. They are encouraging people throughout the UK to grow, cook and share their produce during British Food Fortnight, the national celebration of British food, which takes place this autumn.
”It is wonderful that more and more, people are realising the importance of supporting our local farmers, local producers and local food and this is a fantastic way to encourage others to engage with their community. I was so impressed with last year’s entries and hope that these will be surpassed this year” said Raymond Blanc.
The competition seeks to find the group who organise the most innovative and inclusive harvest celebration in their community. From remote rural villages to inner city social clubs, anyone can take part and anything goes – the more unusual, and fun, the better. The winners will be presented with the Love British Food 2015 trophy plus they will enjoy breakfast and a behind the scenes tour of the unique gardens at Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
“We want people to organise initiatives that strengthen their local community, educate about British food and eating locally, and support the local economy”, explains organiser Alexia Robinson. “Take as inspiration our 2014 competition winners from Emsworth in Hampshire. Local business people joined forces and their outstanding effort saw a series of events taking place across two weeks; local producer markets, foraging walks, themed lunches, films about the town’s oyster heritage and tastings.”
The Harvest Heroes competition is part of Bring Home the Harvest – part of Love British Food’s campaign to reconnect the nation with the land and with food production. British Food Fortnight is an annual national celebration of British produced food and this year takes place from 19th September to 4th October this year.
To enter the competition, organise your harvest event during British Food Fortnight, take plenty of photos and post them on your social media sites if you can.
Submit these plus a short description of what you did via the Link on The Telegraph Website
or by emailing info@lovebritishfood.co.uk<mailto:info@lovebritishfood.co.uk>. The closing date for entries is midday on Friday, October 16 2015.
Twitter: @LoveBritishFood #BuyBritishFood
Facebook: Love-British-Food
British Food Fortnight is the annual celebration of the diverse and delicious food that Britain produces. It was founded in 2002 response to the foot and mouth crisis in order to encourage the public to support British farmers and food producers. Hundreds of shops, pubs, and restaurants take part every year with special menus and promotions. The event is also an established date on the school calendar, with many schools using it as an opportunity to teach children about food. It is organised by Love British Food, a small independent organisation that educates consumers, retailers and caterers about the benefits of buying British. British Food Fortnight is organised by Love British Food and is sponsored by a large family of organisations led by British Corner Shop, Centreplate, Harrison Catering, Hallmark Care Homes, Cucina Restaurants and Whiting and Hammond.
Bring Home the Harvest sits alongside British Food Fortnight and aims to reinvigorate the tradition of celebrating the harvest. It is supported by a committee of organisations and individuals including the National Trust, Women’s Institute, National Association of British Market Authorities, the Church of England, National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, Country Markets, University Caterers Association and the Women’s Food and Farming Union.
