Savour the Wye
Mouth-watering Herefordshire beef, Wye Valley lamb, Forest of Dean apple juice, seasonal fruit and vegetables - If you're a food lover who wants to buy locally, search the on-line Savour the Wye food directory which has an ever-growing list of producers, suppliers and outlets.
Use the "Food Directory" link alongside to find out more.
Cooks and chefs can also use the directory to help them source ingredients for the "Savour the Wye' Local Food Awards organised by the Wye Valley AONB. The first Savour the Wye Food Awards, sponsored by the Wye Valley Brewery, were held in 2006. The winners were chef, Jason Jackson, formerly of Pilgrims Restaurant, Monmouth, and Ali Lloyd of Food From Here, Abbey Dore, Herefordshire. The 2007 award was judged in October by Franco Taruschio and included a new 'Producer of the Year' Award.
Click here for the results.
Local Food Initiatives
Sustainable School Meals
In Monmouthshire, a working party is cooking up plans for a pilot scheme to provide more fresh, seasonal produce on the menus at several local schools.
The working group is chaired by Mike German AM (South Wales East) and has been set up as a direct result of a Better School Dinners conference held in Monmouth in September 2003, hosted by the Wye Valley AONB and Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Farming.
There was overwhelming interest in this initiative, which set out to increase the use of better quality, fresh produce in schools, to support the rural economy, reduce "food miles" and packaging, and improve our children's eating habits. The Wye Valley AONB organised the conference as part of its local foods initiative, which was aligned to a project being run by Sustain. These two partners were supported by other organisations that promote local food initiatives - Gloucestershire Food Links, Herefordshire Food Links and adventa in Monmouthshire.
The working party involves heads from local schools, local producers, representatives from adventa, the Welsh Development Agency, Monmouthshire County Council and the AONB.
A similar initiative is being developed in Herefordshire, again as a result of the Better School Dinners conference. This involves the Bulmers Foundation, with support from the AONB.
