NORTH EAST FOOD’S FINEST HOUR

In years to come, September 2005 will almost certainly be remembered as the month Northumbria Larder put the region’s food producers firmly on the national map, according to Sandy Duncan, the organisation’s director of business development.

Not only did one of the regional food group’s members carry off the entire major awards at the Great Taste Awards in London, ten others have done the North East proud at prestigious food fairs and promotions in the nation’s capital.

Robert and Lea Darling, of Burtree House Farm, Darlington, beat 4,500 entries to be crowned supreme champion in the Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers, while other food producers were busy totting up thousands of pounds worth of new business at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia and Harrods’ Truly British Event which runs in London’s famous Knightsbridge store until October 15 th.

“This has been just a fantastic month for the North East,” said Sandy Duncan. “We are probably the youngest and smallest of England’s regional food groups, but our members have excelled themselves. The high quality of the food produced throughout the North East is now getting the national recognition it deserves and I believe there is even more to come. We have come a long way since 2002 when we were officially set up. Northumbria Larder members are competing against some very large and very well funded English regional and national food groups from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and our success on limited resources is now getting us talked about among the other organisations. It is a tribute to the hard working qualities and professionalism of our producers, many of them still small businesses at this stage in their development, but with enormous opportunities to expand.”

Northumbria Larder, which serves Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley, has a membership of around 50, and is still growing.

Burtree house Farm, of Darlington, diversified into baking five years ago. They won the Great Taste Awards for their sticky toffee pudding baked in their farmhouse kitchen. They sell their range of puddings and other produce directly from the farm and at farmer’s markets.

North East producers who took part in the recent Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Olympia are also among those currently exhibiting and taking orders for their produce at Harrods’ Food Halls. The two complete lists are as follows:

SPECIALITY AND FINE FOOD FAIR, OLYMPIA:

Doddington Dairy, North Doddington Farm, Wooler, Northumberland. Tel: 01668 283010 Contact: Jackie or Neill Maxwell.

Tanfield Food Company (Look What We Found), Stanelaw Way, Tanfield Lea Industrial Estate, Stanley, County Durham. Tel: 01207 585380 Contact: Kim McKie.

Northumberland Cheese Company, Blagdon Estate, Seaton Burn, Northumberland. Tel: 01670 789798 Contact: Mrs Jackie Child.

Heatherslaw Bakery, Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland. Tel: 01890 820208 Contact: Colin Smurthwaite.

Jenkins and Hustwit, Laurel Way, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Tel: 01388 605005 Contact: Hilary Jenkins or Ann Hustwit.

James Ross & Son ( Newcastle) Limited, Newburn, Newcastle. Tel: 0191 2676321 Contact: Charles Penn.

Thorncroft Limited, Eaglescliffe, Stockton, Teesside. Tel: 01642 791792 Contact: Sheila and Guy Woodall.

The Redemption Food Company, Consett, County Durham. Tel: 01207 508111 Contact: Christine Morrison or Ian Blair.

HARRODS – TRULY BRITISH (This is a storewide event, celebrating everything that is great about Britain. The theme of the Food Halls tradition with a twist; heritage and traceability; and artisan foods, i.e. traditional foods that are either handmade or produced by traditional methods, resulting in produce that has a superior quality and taste. Harrods has an average of 710,000 customers a month – over 30,000 on an average day).

Doddington Dairy, North Doddington Farm, Wooler, Northumberland. Tel: 01668 28310 Contact: Jackie or Neill Maxwell.

Fentimans Limited, Hexham, Northumberland. Tel: 01434 609847 Contact: Eldon Robson or Neil Robson.

James Ross & Son ( Newcastle) Limited, Newburn, Newcastle. Tel: 0191 2676321 Contact: Charles Penn.

Northumberland Cheese Company, Blagdon Estate, Seaton Burn, Northumberland. Tel: 01670 789798 Contact: Mrs. Jackie Child.

Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes, Tiptoe, Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland. Tel: 01890 883795 Contact: Anthony Carroll.

Tanfield Food Company (Look What We Found), Stanley, County Durham. Tel; 01207 585380 Contact: Kim McKie.

The Redemption Food Company, Consett, County Durham. Tel: 01207 508111 Contact: Christine Morrison or Ian Blair.