Outstanding Local Produce

There is nothing as good as well produced food and in our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty you will find an abundance of locally created food & drink.

Many foods are distinctive to the area that it is produced and it is well worth hunting out the local specialities. Whether it is Tamar Valley strawberries, Shropshire Blue cheese, Kentish beer, Somerset cider, fresh fish from the Cornish coast, or Lincolnshire sausages, you can be assured that local food is just that.

The fewer the food miles the better the fare. Track down farm gate sales, where you can see for yourself the pastoral conditions where the steak you have purchased was reared. Farmers will delight in taking time out to show you the animals and chat about what makes their produce so special and of course tasty.

The majority of our AONBs have thriving farmers’ markets, giving you the opportunity to join in the bustle and throng to find some wonderful delicacies. Smoked goose, handmade pies, vegetables so fresh that they contain vestiges of the morning dew, home cooked preserves, eggs still warm from the coop – no need to worry about the sell by dates for the majority of this produce!

Land Managers are important guardians of our outstanding landscapes and it is vitally important that we support them in their quest to keep producing quality food. Our much loved landscapes would look very different if there were no sheep to graze the uplands, or cows in the lowlands requiring shady well hedged pasture.

Local spend is of great significance to the whole of the local economy – did you know that for every £1 you spend locally, this generates a minimum of a further £3 returning to the immediate community?

Another treat in store for you is the fantastic range of places to eat and drink. Forget London prices and big restaurant chains. Our AONBs contain an enormous range of pubs and eating places where you will be able to order well prepared fresh meals containing the best local ingredients and usually at a fraction of the cost that you would expect to pay in our major towns.

The food & drink is so good that it really does need celebrating. Throughout the year you will find that many of our AONBs have food festivals. Do find the opportunity to visit and join in with all sorts of activities. Wine tasting, sausage making, sampling of locally distinctive menus, nettle eating competitions, wassailing in cider orchards, cheese rolling, pancake tossing, fungal forays……..good foody fun for all.

Make time in this 50th Anniversary year of AONBs to let your taste buds explore the range and diversity of fantastic food on offer in our beautiful landscapes. You won’t be disappointed. Visit the diary of events to find a gastronomic experience taking place near you.

Useful Links:

Taste of the West
Enjoy England
Farmers’ Markets
British Food Fortnight
Local Producers in the North Wessex Downs