Food

Tourism is eating, eating, eating. Gala dinners at conferences, constant eating on cruise ships, multinational buffets – food is big business in the travel and tourism industry.

Building on the success of the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (IY2017) initiative and in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), PATA, along with our project partner, Scholars of Sustenance (Thai-SOS) and knowledge partner Futouris, is launching the BUFFET Campaign to raise awareness of food waste in our industry to drive positive change.

The BUFFET (Building an Understanding For Food Excess in Tourism) Initiative is about bringing together a coalition of industry partners and PATA members to create and implement a campaign that challenges our industry, particularly the hospitality sector, to reduce food waste to landfill.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “With significant growth expected in the industry and especially the Asia Pacific region in the near future, greater waste can be expected. Our aim is to curb that waste by bringing the tourism and hospitality sectors together to reduce our impact on the planet by reducing our industry’s food waste to landfill. Reducing food waste will reduce the cost for operators in the industry while benefiting the environment at the same time.”

The main activities in this initiative include the raising awareness of food waste in our industry and the creation of Asia-Pacific focused resources for hoteliers and other hospitality and tourism professionals to drive positive change and ultimately reduce their food waste to landfill. While this initiative aims to impact our industry at large, will be focusing additional efforts on hotels and food and beverage providers in Asia, and specific hotel properties in Bangkok in our Bangkok Hotels Project, with the expertise of Thai-SOS.

PATA is seeking to engage further with hotels who would like to reduce their food waste to landfill, hotels already implementing food waste solutions, potential partners and sponsors, as well as those who would like to help us in raising awareness and building a better understanding for food excess in tourism.

With increasing concern of the world for climate change, food waste has come increasingly under attention in recent years and for good reason:

• Food waste is the third biggest contributor to climate change
• One third of all foods produced in the world is wasted
• Additional pressures arise from GHG emissions caused by food production and transportation
• Right now 842 million people do not have enough to eat and with an estimated world population of 9.8 billion people in 2050 resources will be limited and more people will be hungry

Single use cups are well and truly on the political agenda following a call from MPs for a 'Latte Levy' last week.

Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, is setting his own example (admittedly following criticism last month for using a takeaway cup) by proudly parading his reusable Ecoffee Cup yesterday outside number 10.

Ecoffee Cup founder David McLagan, who has been fighting the coffee cup waste corner since the company's inception in 2014, applauds Gove's example. The company set up its #stopthe100billion campaign precisely to raise awareness of the cause, effect real change in the way we consume coffee and help tackle the ever growing issue of single use packaging waste going to landfill.

Following the news of a possible 'Latte Levy' last week, the coffee cup waste issue is showing no signs of letting up, with hope that the PM is also taking note with her vow yesterday to end the 'throwaway culture'.

David McLagan comments: “Having previously thrown out similar initiatives in the past, the call from MPs for a coffee cup tax is fantastic news. The hope is that this time it actually comes to something…

“With awareness of the single-use coffee cup waste issue growing rapidly, and consumers admitting they would be happy to pay a charge, it is high time for government to sit up and listen. Policy has to be dramatically altered if we are to effectively change the mind-set of the coffee-consuming public.

“Following the huge success of the 5p plastic bag charge, a coffee cup levy is the obvious and necessary next step and will go a long way in changing attitudes and behaviours, by incentivising people to bring their own mugs.

“Recycling is simply not the answer. Reuse is.

“So few facilities are currently available to manage the recycling of disposable cups due to the highly complex task of separating the plastic from the paper, and with 100 billion single-use takeaway cups going to landfill globally each year - that's 273,972,603 coffee cups every single day – the time for action is most definitely now.

“Consumers, coffee chains and governments must all act in unison in order to reduce the volumes of coffee cups going to landfill.”

With a keynote talk from food critic, writer and broadcaster, Jay Rayner, The Jolly Tasty pop-up pub sampling Great Taste award-winning beers & ciders, retail clinics with the School of Fine Food and Shopper's Anonymous all on the line up, the new look Fine Food Show North (formerly Harrogate Find Food Show) is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

Extended to three days and moved from June to February in response to popular demand, this trade-only event from the Guild of Fine Food will showcase more than 180 food and drink exhibitors and will take place at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate on Sunday 11 February from 11am – 4pm, Monday 12 February from 10am – 6pm and Tuesday 13 February from 10am – 4pm.

Registration is now open for deli, farm shop, café and garden centre owners, along with chefs, publicans, hoteliers, bar owners and restaurateurs, to visit this jam-packed three-day event and discover emerging food and drink trends, along with buyers from Selfridges, Harrods and Fenwicks.

Visitors to Fine Food Show North 2018 can also expect to learn how to tap into tourism during a Gastro Tourism Business Builder workshop with Sir Gary Verity, CEO at Welcome to Yorkshire, explore 'off the wall' accompaniments for cheese and watch producers pitch new products to the experts on the Feed the Dragon panel.

As millions of people embark on New Year resolutions to eat healthier, a new One Poll survey* has found that a third of shoppers find it difficult to know which foods to choose for a healthy diet.

The survey results come as Waitrose launches a new label which will be featured on hundreds of nutritious food and drink products to make it easier for customers to make healthier choices.

The new 'Good Health' label now shows on many of the supermarket's own-brand products, from fresh produce, juices and smoothies to store cupboard essentials including pulses and grains. A number of new healthier products will also be launching at Waitrose, many of which incorporate vegetables in innovative ways in response to the growing demand for plant-based protein.

Every product carrying the Good Health label has been assessed by a team of nutritionists and meet strict criteria based on government guidelines for fat, saturated fat, added sugar and salt, and so won't appear on products with red traffic lights, apart from where the fats and sugars are naturally occurring. The nutritional benefits of the products will be clearly signposted on packaging, including claims such as whether they're high in, or a source of, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients - as well as information on how this in turn benefits health.

Indicators such as 'high in fibre', 'Source of Vitamin D' and '1 of your 5 a day' will help customers to make healthier choices.

Nathalie Winn, Senior Nutritionist at Waitrose, explains:

“We believe there are few things more important than the food we eat, but we know people sometimes find it difficult to know what's a healthier choice, or to know which foods provide certain nutrients.

“With one third of shoppers getting confused by which foods to eat for a healthy diet, we wanted to make it easier than ever for our customers to know they're selecting food that not only tastes good, but is good for you too.

“Whether or not you have specific dietary requirements, the new labels will make it easier for everyone to make simple, healthy choices every day.”

New healthier products launching this month include meat sausages which are also packed with up to 35% fruit, vegetables or pulses, such as quinoa, cauliflower, kale and lentils.

The new range also includes a sandwich made with omelette in place of bread, Edamame Noodles and Mushroom and Miso Stir Fry Bites, all of which add protein to your diet.

Waitrose has also launched a number of tasty, healthy recipes for customers to pick up in store or online this month, as well as a special edition of its Waitrose Weekend newspaper which will help shoppers keep their health resolutions on track.

A sweet-toothed Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Bailey had a very lucky escape this festive season after wolfing down a potentially lethal dose of chocolate. Thankfully, her owners were aware of the dangers and took urgent action, meaning PDSA vets were able to provide life-saving treatment.

The warning comes as new PDSA research reveals one-in-ten pet owners face an emergency trip to the vets over the Christmas period*.

Bailey’s owner Angela (53) from Shard End, Birmingham, said: “I’d popped out to get Bailey some food but got back to find scraps of paper and foil all over the floor. She’d managed to get into a plastic bag and rip open the chocolate bar wrappers!”

Angela was horrified to find Bailey had polished off two huge bars of chocolate – over twice the lethal dose for dogs. But thankfully, Angela knew chocolate was poisonous for our four-legged friends and rushed Bailey straight to Aston PDSA Pet Hospital.

PDSA vets immediately gave Bailey medication to induce vomiting, alongside treatment to help reduce absorption of the deadly chemicals contained in chocolate.

PDSA Vet, Hannah Gritti, said: “Chocolate is incredibly toxic for dogs – especially the amount Bailey had eaten. We knew time was of the essence, so we needed to act fast to make sure she would pull through.

“Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine which, although harmless to people, is poisonous to dogs. Luckily, Angela knew Bailey had eaten chocolate and acted quickly, but others aren’t so lucky. It’s important to be vigilant this Christmas and keep all chocolate, including cakes and advent calendars, completely out of reach. Remember, gifts under the tree could contain chocolate too, so keep wrapped presents out of reach from curious paws.”

Cases of chocolate poisoning are consistently one of the most common enquiries to the Veterinary Poisons Information Services (VPIS), and the number of chocolate poisoning cases during the festive season is around 20%** higher than any other time of year. PDSA is urging owners to be vigilant during the festive season.

Hannah adds: “Signs your pet may have eaten chocolate can include excessive thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea, a tender tummy and restlessness. This can then progress to tremors, an abnormal heart rhythm, raised body temperature and rapid breathing. In severe cases, chocolate poisoning in dogs can cause fits, kidney failure and even death.”

Other festive foods, including onions, raisins, some nuts, sage-and-onion stuffing, mince pies and Christmas cake, can be harmful and should be kept out of paws’ reach. You can find out more at pdsa.org.uk/poisons. If you think your dog may have eaten something poisonous, it’s important to contact your vet straight away for advice.

A very relieved Angela wants to share Bailey’s story to highlight the dangers that chocolate can pose to beloved pets this Christmas.

Angela added: “I was terrified she wasn’t going to make it. She’s my little prima donna and rules the house, but she’s my world and I would be distraught if anything happened to her.

“I hope that Bailey’s story helps raise awareness of the life-saving work PDSA do – I’m incredibly grateful for all they have done. They are such an amazing bunch of people – I just don’t have the words to say how thankful I am.”

New for 2018, Saint Lucia Food and Rum is the first event in the Soleil festival series running throughout the year. It's the must-visit food Caribbean festival taking place from January 12-14 with an appearance by one of the world's top chefs, Marcus Samuelsson. The festival also includes another major addition: the first-ever Caribbean Rum Awards.

The Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival takes place in January 2018, exploring the island's sensational flavours with the Award-Winning Chef, TV Personality and Restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson. The event also sees the launch of the inaugural Caribbean Rum Awards from the Caribbean Journal. The festival runs from January 12-14 with select restaurants featuring rum inspired Prix Fixe menus.

The Food & Rum Festival is a three-day celebration of the island's unique culinary offerings derived from its French, British, African and Indian heritage combined with the finest rums of the Caribbean and the world. A highlight will be renowned chef, Marcus Samuelsson who is presenting a Saint Lucian twist on his menu from President Obama's first State Dinner, at a gala event. Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including, Red Rooster, Streetbird Rotisserie, and Marcus B&P.

Food & Rum will convert the Rodney Bay strip into a foodie's dream with the Rodney Bay Culinary Experience on Saturday January 13. Some of the Island's best restaurants will be setting up sampling booths to share the tastes of their rum inspired creations. The lively Saturday night scene in Rodney Bay will be taken up a few notches with the exciting flavours and live entertainment well into the night.

The festival reaches its climax Sunday January 14 with an open-air event at the historic Pigeon Island National Landmark. Restaurateurs, chefs and rum makers will present the most delectable fare, including their own rum infused creations. The festival day will feature sampling booths, live cooking demonstrations, rum tastings and a power packed live concert.

The Gala event will be an exclusive night of glamour, entertainment and some of the finest dining in the western hemisphere.

Sandwell health bosses are encouraging local people to take care with how much they drink ahead of Booze Black Friday.

Booze Black Friday – the last Friday before Christmas – is the most popular night for office and factory Christmas parties, which consequently makes it one of the busiest nights in the year for ambulances and the police services.

Sales for alcohol massively increase on Booze Black Friday in comparison with Fridays at other times of the year. Both supermarkets and bars and restaurants see a massive increase in the amount of alcohol being consumed.

Councillor Elaine Costigan, cabinet member for public health and protection, said: “Over the festive period a lot of us like to have a drink or two. However, it is important that people are aware of the short and long-term health risks of drinking alcohol.

“There is lots of great advice and support available locally on how to cut down or remain booze-free.”

Regularly drinking more than 14 units a week risks damaging your health. Fourteen units is equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or seven 175ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine.

For more advice and information on how to keep in control of your drinking please go to: www.healthysandwell.co.uk/our-services/lets-talk-alcohol/festive-drinking-advice

Waitrose is the first UK supermarket to launch a Prosecco cheese. Arriving in shops on 4th December, this indulgent cheese is perfect for adding a sparkly twist to a festive cheeseboard.

The Ubriaco Prosecco DOC, affectionately referred to as 'drunken cheese', is a traditional Italian cows' milk cheese which is bathed in Treviso Prosecco DOC for 40 to 50 days during its ageing process, which takes 6 - 8 months in total.

Made by a third generation family of cheese makers in Veneto, northern Italy, the cheese has a soft, supple texture. Its flavour is reminiscent of flowers, pears and golden apples, with a hint of saltiness in the background. The cheese develops a semi-firm edible rind as it soaks in the Prosecco DOC and the wine imparts floral and aromatic notes to the cheese.

The company behind the cheese was founded in 1930 by Luigi Moro, who sold milk to local families in Veneto, particularly helping those who were struggling during difficult times. In the 1950s they started cheese production and today Sergio Moro, Luigi's grandson, specialises in making cheeses using old rural techniques of production and ageing.

The cheese goes particularly well with pears and figs, and a glass of Prosecco or aged red wine.

Heston Blumenthal has worked his magic to turn what can be the most divisive part of a traditional Christmas dinner into a dish everyone will love - a giant 'sprout' filled with profiteroles. Available at Waitrose from December 13th, the Heston from Waitrose Melting Chocolate 'Sprout' will appeal to even the most vehement sprout haters.

The new dessert has a green chocolate dome shell which, when drizzled with warmed salted caramel sauce, melts to reveal 18 green profiterole 'sprouts' filled with a lime-flavoured Crème Patissiere. The visual effect is a pile of sprouts doused in gravy but - with no actual sprouts or gravy used in the recipe - the flavour could not be more different; the zingy lime profiteroles perfectly balance the sweetness of the chocolate and salted caramel sauce.

The dessert's green shell, which is textured to look like a giant version of the festive vegetable, is made with white chocolate turned green by adding spirulina, a natural colouring. The choux pastry profiteroles are filled with a Crème Patissiere flavoured with lime.

Blumenthal is a master of curious food, famous for innovative dishes like the Meat Fruit - a 'mandarin' made with chicken liver parfait - at his restaurant, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and The Fat Duck's famous Bacon and Egg Ice Cream.

Heston Blumenthal says: 'The dishes that have caused the biggest response from our guests at The Fat Duck are those that look like something they're not. What can be more fun at Christmas than playing with your guests' minds and taste buds with a dessert that will leave everyone talking?'

Aileen Wood, Waitrose dessert buyer, says: 'Christmas is the perfect time of year to create a fun dessert with lots of theatre for people to enjoy together. We are sure this unique pud will be a talking point, and will give sprout haters a chance to try a new take on the festive veg!'

Heston has also introduced both a new gin and Panettone for Christmas 2017. The Heston from Waitrose Citrus Sherbert Lazy Gin only needs ice and Mediterranean tonic water to create the perfect G&T.

Blumenthal has also taken a classic Italian Panettone and given it a 70s makeover with the Heston from Waitrose Black Forest Panettone - the cherry scattered bread is topped with dark chocolate and kirsch-soaked cherries.

The most visited destination in the U.S. has a new must-taste experience: a signature dessert developed to showcase the region's culinary evolution and connection with honey. A destination-wide culinary competition involved public voting as well as a celebrity panel of judges including two-time James Beard Award winner Chef Art Smith.

The winning dish, “Orlando's Honey Nougat Glacé,” is an Italian meringue prepared with honey, nougat and fruit confit, on a red berries sorbet from Chef Catherine Delrieu of Mon Petit Cheri.

“Orlando's Honey Nougat Glacé stood out because you could really taste the honey,” said Chef Art Smith. “Yet it had this wonderful clean refreshing aftertaste – a total sweet honey bomb with a delicious tart fruit that soothes. Congratulations to Chef Catherine on this fabulous dish.”

“I wanted to create something different and refreshing to showcase local honey, but with balanced flavors so that it does not become too overpowering with sweetness,” said Chef Catherine Delrieu. “The entire process has been really exciting and challenging. I'm very proud to have been a part of this.”

The culinary competition launched in August, welcoming submissions from across Central Florida with the following criteria:

• local honey must be a key ingredient;
• the dish must be a dessert;
• it is available to the public in a restaurant or food venue;
• only one entry per restaurant.

The panel of judges included:

• Celebrity Chef Art Smith, Homecomin' and two-time James Beard Foundation Award Winner
• Tish Boyle, co-editor of Dessert Professional magazine
• Lauren Delgado, multimedia food reporter for the Orlando Sentinel
• Scott Joseph, veteran restaurant critic for com

Five food businesses in Sandwell have been recognised by Sandwell Council for offering healthier food options to their customers.

The national award called Eat Out Eat Well rewards caterers who make it easier for their customers to opt for healthier choices when eating out.

With three levels – bronze, silver and gold - the scheme is open to caterers, takeaways and other food retailers that have a good food hygiene rating and are complaint with food standards.

It encourages food businesses to provide healthier options to customers by increasing fruit, vegetable and starchy carbohydrates on their menus, and decreasing fat, especially saturated fat, sugar and salt.

The level of the award is based on a scoring system that takes into account the type of food on offer, cooking methods, provision of healthier meals for children and how the meals are promoted customers.

A platinum level is also available to larger organisations which meet government buying standards.

The first five Sandwell award winners are:

Brasshouse Café, Brasshouse Lane, Smethwick (Silver award)

Health Futures UTC Café, High Street, West Bromwich (Silver award)

Captain Café, Halesowen Road, Cradley Heath (Bronze award)

D’Vine Café, High Street, West Bromwich (Bronze award)

Eat it Fresh, Pound Road, Oldbury (Bronze award)

Councillor Elaine Costigan, cabinet member for public health and protection, who presented the awards, said:

“I’d like to congratulate all the winners of this new award for Sandwell.

“A lot of us enjoy eating out, but it can sometimes be a struggle to find healthier alternative eating options.

“We’re all becoming more aware of the contribution that a healthier diet can make towards reducing some diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

“These awards are a great way of recognising and raising awareness of the businesses that are making that extra effort to provide us with tasty and healthier options."

Abbas Abbas, owner of Captain Café in Cradley Heath, said: “I am very honoured and proud  to receive this award for Captain Café.

"The Eat Out Eat Well scheme, gives food businesses an opportunity to promote healthy eating to our communities and to offer our customers a healthier choice of food.”

Customers wanting to make changes to their lifestyle through healthier eating should look out for the Eat Out Eat Well logo when eating out, showing them where healthier eating choices are available.

Sainsbury's is branching into the coffee-to-go market by trialling a new coffee bar at the front of six of its supermarkets.

The bars, called '1869 Coffee' in reference to the year that Sainsbury's opened its first shop, enable customers to order Sainsbury's Own Brand coffees and teas, as well as pastries and cakes (hot panini's will be available in selected coffee bars) to take away.

Run by a Sainsbury's colleague with specialist barista training, the menu offers a wide range of hot drinks with each store spicing it up and adding their own seasonal specials throughout the year. In the run up to Christmas customers can get their hands on new blends including a honeycomb latte, black forest hot chocolate and gingerbread latte. Mince pies will also be on offer for those looking for a festive treat.

Mintel's latest reports reveal that the UK coffee shop market has risen by 37% over the last five years and coffee-to-go is high in demand. Sainsbury's new coffee bar format will look to tap into this market by giving customers their instant caffeine hit while on the move.

Customers in Sainsbury's West Green, Cambridge Eddington, Slough, Watford and Alton can already pay a visit to the bars, with Sainsbury's Armada Way store in Plymouth due to kick off the service this week. The bars will be open seven days a week with opening times varying from store to store.

Adrian Cook, Director of Fresh Foods at Sainsbury's commented, “We want to help all of our customers to live well for less and as part of this we're continually looking at new ways to be there for our customers, providing a range of convenient and high quality services at their fingertips.

“By giving our customers the chance to grab and go a range of hot drinks and snacks at the front of the store, we are differentiating our in-store offer and delivering a great value takeaway experience. It's an exciting opportunity for us to listen and understand how our customers respond to a new trial like this.”

Changing UK diets have prompted Tesco to double its vegetarian and vegan centrepiece festive food offering this year.

And that should be good news for the growing number of people who don't eat or want to cut down on meat or dairy foods. It also shows customers that however they do Christmas - everyone's welcome at Tesco.

In the last year demand for vegetarian and vegan food has soared and Tesco is seeing the effect of lifestyle choices like Meat Free Mondays and flexitarian diets with sales of chilled vegetarian ready meals and meat substitutes growing by 25 per cent.

For vegetarians there's a Portobello Mushroom Wellington made with spinach and bursts of cranberry in rich puff pastry and also a Festive Nut Roast with a mulled wine and cranberry glaze.

And for the first time ever Tesco has two vegan Christmas dinner centrepieces - a sumptuous Turmeric Spiced Cauliflower Wellington and a festive Pecan and Peanut Roast with maple-roasted carrot and parsnip.

Tesco recently announced that chef Derek Sarno would be joining the retailer as director of plant-based innovation, with a focus on helping customers enjoy more plant-based food by putting it centre stage like never before.

Derek is now working with suppliers, farmers and chefs on developing exciting new foods that go on sale over the coming year.

Chef Derek Sarno said:

“These are changing times and vegetable dishes have now become centrepiece heroes in their own right on dinner tables up and down the country.

“We think that our Portobello Mushroom Wellington is so delicious that it may tempt diners to try something different this Christmas.

“This year, Tesco's Christmas campaign celebrates the many ways we come together at Christmas, and with the quality of vegetarian and vegan food now so good there may even be squabbles across the dinner table over who gets what.”

Tesco has been catering for the increasing amount of vegan customers throughout the year and is offering its biggest ever range of vegan products.

It recently increased its range of dairy free cheeses to nine and among the new additions are a melty red Leicester for cheese on toast, Mozzarella to top pizzas, a jalapeno Cheddar, a blue cheese, and Cheddar.

It has also launched eight new milk free desserts to cater for vegans.

According to a British Social Attitudes report published last year, three in 10 people in Britain (29 per cent) say they have reduced the amount of meat they eat in the past 12 months.

And nearly half (44 per cent) of people either do not eat meat, have reduced the amount of meat they eat or are considering reducing the amount of meat they eat.

Lynne Elliot, Chief Executive, the Vegetarian Society commented:

“With demand for vegetarian and meat-free alternatives rising, it's great to see supermarkets across the UK like Tesco working hard to keep their customers happy and increasing their vegetarian range.

“Offering customers a better choice is especially welcome at Christmas.”

As part of Tesco's commitment to increase the amount of vegetables in people's diets and encourage healthier eating, it has recently pledged to increase the amount of vegetables used in recipes and also offer more vegetable options amongst its ready meal deals.

The winner of the Love British Food 2017 competition, run in conjunction with Co-op and The Telegraph has been announced as the Ginger & Spice Festival, held in Market Drayton, Shropshire.  This brand-new event which ran from 27-30 September, championed the town’s culinary heritage and historical links to spices, food and gingerbread as well as promoting local food producers, suppliers and other food related organisations and community groups.

The inspired programme of celebrations over four days included an eclectic mix of activities including ‘The Pickles Spice Trail’ in Market Drayton – a competition related to food tastings and questions found in tearooms, cafes, pubs, restaurants, shops and the museum.  As well as a pop up restaurant showcasing British alternatives to spices there was a foraging walk around the town, a spicy street market, cookery demonstrations, educational outreach activities about spices for children and adults, live music and a comedy food show, beer tasting and much more!  Over 60 local organisations took part including the Town Council, local school, St John’s Ambulance, and the local church. Market Drayton Twinning Association also played a big part as did local producers.

Long term supporters of British Food Fortnight, Hampshire Fare and Notts City Hospital Grow Your Own Garden came in as joint second place.

The competition, now in its fifth year, acknowledges the people behind the most imaginative and inclusive celebrations of local food and the harvest. Entries were received from across the country and included restaurant events, community festivals, activities in care homes and initiatives in schools.

Alexia Robinson, Founder of Love British Food said: “We applaud the commitment of the organisers and consumers who never fail to spread the message far and wide.  We are delighted with the high standard of responses to the competition with entries received from schools, care homes, caterers and community groups.  The Fortnight is getting bigger and better every year and we are already planning for next year!”

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges led by The Rt Hon Michael Gove, MP - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Cathryn Higgs, Head of Food Policy, Co-op Food, Breige Donaghy, Director of Delicious Food, Co-op, Chef Raymond Blanc, OBE, Liz Earle, MBE wellbeing writer and farmer, Ian MacGregor, Editor Emeritus, The Telegraph and Alexia Robinson, Founder of Love British Food.  Together they were looking for events that strengthened the local community, supported the economy and educated the public about British food and eating locally.

Raymond Blanc said: “The entries were amazing and reading each story made me very proud to be involved in British Food Fortnight.   Each entry was clear in its objective – to share what we have around us with others and celebrate food.  To me all the entries were very much winners.”

Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs Michael Gove will be presenting the winners with a special handcrafted award said: “

“The wide range of ambitious applications for this year’s British Food Fortnight competition is testament to the nationwide pride in our homegrown food.

“While all entrants showed tremendous imagination and enthusiasm for championing Britain’s high quality, great tasting food, the Ginger & Spice Festival showed real ingenuity by getting the whole community involved in celebrating the area’s culinary heritage. They are a worthy winner.”

Cathryn Higgs, Food Policy at Co-op said “I loved the way the Ginger & Spice Festival celebrated their culinary history – this is often lost and it’s important we retain these taste links to the past.”

The newly crowned winners will be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Michelin Starred Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons gardens plus £250 in Co-op vouchers and a case of Co-op award winning ‘Les Pionniers’ champagne.

Runners up will receive a year’s subscription to Liz Earle Magazine: a signed Liz Earle Wellbeing Yearbook and a signed copy of each of Liz’s best selling books The Good Gut Guide and Skin.  Plus £100 worth of Co-op vouchers.

Waitrose has become the first supermarket to ensure that all of its branded and own-label canned tuna is either Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified or pole and line caught, meaning it is 100 percent responsibly sourced.

The achievement is the result of work over the last year with branded tuna suppliers to improve their sustainability credentials. All Waitrose own-label canned tuna has been pole and line caught since 2009 and MSC certified since 2013, while all the tuna in own-label ready prepared products such as sandwiches and pâtés is also pole and line caught.

The commitment to 100 percent responsible tuna coincides with the launch of a new range of MSC-certified John West canned tuna products. The ready-to-eat, 'no drain' cans will be available exclusively at Waitrose for six months.

Jeremy Ryland-Langley, Waitrose's Aquaculture and Fisheries Manager, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of what we do and we are proud to have such a strong record in ensuring that our own-label tuna is caught in the most responsible way possible. When they buy a can of own-label tuna, our customers know that they are always buying a product which has been responsibly sourced – and now they have the same assurance when it comes to buying a branded product.”

Toby Middleton, MSC's Programme Director, added: “It's great to see Waitrose expand the range of MSC labelled tuna products on sale in their stores with these new John West MSC labelled cans. Extending their own sustainable seafood strategy to also apply to the brands they stock shows how seriously Waitrose treat the health of the world's oceans.”

Brits create record demand for low alcohol wines with sales at Tesco more than doubling in the last year.

But now the supermarket believes that number is set to grow even further after launching a range that is virtually indistinguishable in taste from its alcoholic counterparts.

The range includes five customer favourites – a Cabernet Tempranillo, a Grenacha-Rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc – the latter two in both still and sparkling varieties.

The taste improvement comes from a new innovative spinning cone technique that gently removes the alcohol without sacrificing the aroma, quality and flavour profile of the wine.

Until now most non-alcoholic wines have been fermented until they reach the point where they are about to turn alcoholic so the liquid never actually becomes wine.

Another popular method involves removing the alcohol but replacing it with a number of sugars and artificial flavours to bring back the flavours lost through the process.

Tesco wine expert Alexandra Runciman, who developed the range, said:

“Consumption of alcohol in the UK down is down by 18 per cent over the last decade and we're seeing more customers looking for a quality wine drinking experience without the alcohol.

“In recent years we've seen improvements in the quality and range of low and no alcohol ciders and beers which have put the wine equivalent firmly in the shade.

“This is the first wine range of its kind sold by a supermarket which offers customers a real comparable alternative to popular varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc, without any compromise on taste.”

The wines, which are nearly alcohol free - less than 0.5% - have been developed in partnership with leading international wine producers Felix Solis, and will be available in over 700 stores across the country and online and will be priced from £3.

In March 2017 Tesco became the first supermarket to bring together its entire range of alcohol free, or less than 0.5% ABV beers, wines and spirits in one place in stores across the UK.