Lancashire Day Chefs to Cook for the Country’s top Critics
Lancashire’s top award winning chefs and food producers are heading to London to celebrate Lancashire Day in delicious style this week. Some of the county’s hottest chefs are preparing a 5 course feast for top food writers, critics and industry insiders at the exclusive IceTank venue in Covent Garden on Thursday the 17th of November.
Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire said, “Lancashire is now at the forefront of culinary destinations nationwide. The aim of this event is to put Lancashire food and drink on the map. We’re so very confident, we’re inviting leading food writers and influencers to taste the very best of our region and help spread the word about our world class food & drink.”
The event, supported by Lancashire County Council and official travel partner Virgin Trains, is part of the county’s Lancashire Day celebrations that will culminate on Lancashire Day, 27 November. Marketing Lancashire is spear-heading a social media campaign inviting all proud Lancastrians to post images of their favourite Lancashire scenes, events and delicious local produce using #LancashireDay. Last year a similar campaign reached over 40 million people in 816 locations worldwide.
Jennifer Mein, County Councillor and Leader of Lancashire County Council said,
“Lancashire’s food and drink sector is worth around £734 million to Lancashire’s visitor economy and the sector supports an estimated 12,937 food and drink related posts. Marketing Lancashire is taking ‘Lancashire to London’ ahead of Lancashire Day, to encourage more visitors to sample and appreciate the county’s rich larder. We have some of the best produce in the country and raising awareness of this around Lancashire Day, sends out a strong message to visitors as well as to proud Lancastrians.”
Food and drink is worth around £734 million to Lancashire’s visitor economy, which has grown by £129 million over the last 6 years. This makes the county’s food and drink sector a strategic priority for the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as highlighted in the newly launched Lancashire narrative and ‘We Are Lancashire’ campaign, along with the county’s advanced manufacturing, tourism and connectivity by air, sea and rail.
Anna Doran, General Manager at Virgin Trains on the west coast, said: “At Virgin Trains we are pleased to play our part in showcasing the very best Lancashire has to offer.
“Our direct services to Lancaster and Preston mean Lancashire can easily be reached by train and with a journey time of two hours from London, it is perfect for a trip to explore all the culinary delights the county has to offer.”
The 5 award winning chefs cooking are Lisa Allen, Head Chef of Michelin-starred Northcote, Maurizo Bocchi from La Locanda, Chris Bury from The Cartford Inn, Stosie Madi from Parkersarms and Steven Smith from the Freemasons at Wiswell.
The menu features a wealth of Lancastrian producers from traditional Morecambe Bay shrimps & Lytham cockles, Goosnargh duck, artisan goat’s cheese from Capra Products, Ormskirk potatoes, Salt Marsh lamb from Cockerham, Brockhall village apples, honey from Crossmoor Farm, raw milk butter from Gazegill Organics and Burnley’s latest artisan gin distiller, Batch Brew. Burnley-based CoolKit Ltd is providing refrigerated transport to ensure all the ingredients arrive in top condition.
The unique meal will include a gourmet coffee course from Lancaster’s oldest and most admired coffee importers Atkinson’s. The feast will end in true Lancashire style with a Lancashire cheese board supplied by Dewlay and Mrs. Kirkham’s.