“The state of our food at the beginning of the new millennium is complex and contradictory. On the one hand we have world corporate power with its heavy investment controlling a food supply which is uniform and bland, on the other we have sprinkled across the land individuals with the passion and spirit to retain traditional methods of rearing and cultivation and the skill to cook the product perfectly. We are the guardians of our traditions; the more we know and respect them, the better we are equipped to protect them from the financial predators of the modern world.”

Colin Spencer - British Food, An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History – Grub Street, London

This extract sums up the importance and potential for “real” food & drink in modern Britain. Passion, tradition, respect, protection – these are fundamental ingredients in Real Food & Drink. Add to the mix a healthy dash of local diversity, flavour, taste, freshness and seasonality, and you have the recipe for sustenance which is as rewarding to savour as it is to support.

The benefits to our own health and enjoyment in seeking out real food and drink are pretty obvious, but by supporting real producers and businesses, we can also protect our traditions and our landscapes. Britain’s richly diverse scenery reflects the variety of our regional foods and drinks – over centuries, local farmers and producers have developed crops, livestock and the landscape itself to make the most of local conditions.