National Open Course Dates with The Environmental Academy

Click here for a list of Open Course dates running throughout the UK, until June 2010. 
There are discounts available for a selection of these courses, and these are marked below.

You can also follow the link below to our full course calendar and further details of each course: http://www.environmental-academy.co.uk/Course-Diary.aspx

February 2010 - Great Taste Awards - Enter Now

Last September, 5.5 million listeners heard CHRIS EVANS talk to GREAT TASTE AWARDS GOLD-STAR WINNING PRODUCERS on his BBC RADIO 2 DRIVETIME SHOW. Over 30 million consumers read about gold-star winning food and drink in newspapers and magazines and tens of thousands got to taste them at food exhibitions throughout the country. Many also met producers at GREAT TASTE LIVE theatres at REAL FOOD FESTIVAL and BBC MASTERCHEF LIVE and thousands bought from shops, food halls, markets, exhibitions and the TASTE GOLD MARKET in Cardinal Place, London last November.

Coveted black & gold-star GREAT TASTE stickers adorn thousands of speciality foods stocked on shelves and counters in stores throughout the UK and more recently, even as part of a television commercial.

Of all the UK’s food award schemes, the GREAT TASTE AWARDS is the most important. Completely independent and uncompromisingly rigorous, it is trusted by retailers, buyers and consumers. GREAT TASTE is to speciality food and drink what MICHELIN is to fine dining.

Closing Date: 9th April 2010

Entry Form http://www.finefoodworld.co.uk/downloads/gta2010_entryform.pdf
The NEW 2010 Classes, Terms & Conditions http://www.finefoodworld.co.uk/downloads/gta2010_classes_t_cs.pdf

Make a Food Co-op Your New Year’s Resolution

If you want to eat more healthily in the New Year or do your bit to help the environment by eating more local food then help is at hand. Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Farming, has a team of regional advisers to help local communities and farmers set up food co-ops.

Download Full Press Release

Wallington Food and Craft Festival - 17th & 18th October

The Wallington Food and Craft Festival takes place on the 17th & 18th October and will showcase a huge range of regional produce. Over 50 exhibitors from the North East and Cumbria will be attending Wallington and the Northumbria Larder demonstration kitchen will also be at the event, with leading chefs Richard Sim (of Six at the Baltic and Zecca) and David Kennedy (Black Door Brasserie and North East Chef of the year) on hand to entertain and inform.

Highlights of the festival include displays and stalls by suppliers of fresh local food and drink, with products such as home-made cakes and biscuits, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, cheese and sweets. Real Food Works will also be there to entertain the children and assist them understanding the importance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Visitors to the festival will also find a wide range of arts, crafts and jewellery, and the magnificent Wallington house and gardens will be open to the public as usual. Organised by a partnership of the Northumbria Larder, The National Trust and Made in Cumbria, the event runs from 10am until 5pm both days.

Sandy Duncan, general manager for Northumbria Larder, comments: “Wallington Food and Craft Festival is a wonderful event. It is really important to showcase and celebrate the fantastic food and drink that is produced in our region, and Wallington does that so well, which is why the North East England Food and Drink Group is such supporter of the festival. I am particularly looking forward to watching top chefs from across the region showcase dishes using fresh, local produce”

Entry to the grounds and gardens is free. Why not come along and see all we have on offer over this special weekend at Wallington.

September 2009

Windfall for Farmers Markets

In a campaign to get more people across the North East to eat local food, it has been announced today that over £100,000 of funding has been received to set up North East of England Farmers’ Markets (NEEFM). Bringing together Farmers Markets operated by local authorities, producer groups, private businesses, community groups and social enterprises,  NEEFM is the first Farmers’ Market operators collaboration of this kind in the UK. 

During the initial three year programme they will encourage all these different stakeholders to work together to promote Farmers' Markets  in the North East.  NEEFM first six members are the Farmers’ Markets in Hartlepool, Darlington, Alnwick, Durham, Morpeth, Newcastle and Ponteland.  

They have received £97,984 of from the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme along with £8,747.89 from the North East England Investment Centre.

The Directors of NEEFM, Nic Best of Morpeth, Hazel Coppack of Barnard Castle, Alastair Davy of Northern Dales, Kathryn Potts of Alnwick, Julie Sloan of Hadrian’s Wall, Peter Wilson of Darlington, all Farmers Markets Operators across the region, have been working together for the last eighteen months to secure this funding,  Nic Best Chairman of NEEFM  explains:

 " We are delighted to receive this funding, because it means  we can ensure that our aims become action. NEEFM is very much a practical resource and this funding will be used to champion Farmers’ Markets across the whole of the North East. We want to give them a stronger voice to actively promote their benefits and encourage consumers across the region to buy, eat and cook with food from their local Farmers Market."   

•  
• The overall aims of NEEFM are to:
• raise consumer awareness and demand for local food & drink
• increase the range of produce available at Farmers’ Markets
• promote co-operation between Farmers' Markets throughout the North East
• develop a sustainable future for farmers’ markets
• educate the general public on the benefits of healthy eating
• provide a ‘voice’ for Farmers’ Markets in the region

• There is recognition that City and Rural markets will have differing needs and also areas where tourists make up a large percentage of visitors, so NEEFM will be working in partnership with the region's tourism organisations. Given its remit to encourage people to choose to use the markets as a source of healthy food it also hopes to work in conjunction with the NHS Healthy Eating programme.
•  
• A recently commissioned government report from the Parliamentary Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee was keen to emphasise not only these economic benefits  but also the significant role these markets play in creating a sense of community.
•  

Commenting Labour MP Phyllis Starkey, the committee chair, said successful markets delivered "diverse benefits" to Britain's towns. Using a local Farmers' Market is certainly a way of addressing many of the current concerns we have in the UK such as finding an economical source of healthy fresh food, minimising our impact on the local environment and renewing our sense of community.

Farmers’ Markets’ provide valuable employment and have a relatively high economic impact, it has been estimated that every £10 spent with a local food business is actually worth £25 to the local area, compared with only £14 if spent in a supermarket.  Not only do farmers markets provide an important extra income stream for farmers, they also regenerate the towns where they are held increasing footfall on market day and encouraging tourists to try a region's specialities.

NEEFM has already signed up its first six members Alnwick, Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Morpeth, Newcastle and Ponteland. All are members of the national Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA) or are working towards this certification which acts as a recognised guarantee of quality. 

 Colin Wilkes of Durham Markets said ”We joined NEEFM to share good practice and get some new ideas and support to boost our Farmers' Market”

Anyone wishing to find out the location of their nearest Farmers’ Market should visit  www.neefm.org.uk . Any Farmers' Markets  wishing to find out more about becoming a NEEFM member should contact Kathryn Potts on Tel. 01665 576148.

Staff of Life

Newly formed organisation North East of England's Farmers Markets (NEEFM) has announced the appointment of Kathryn Potts as Manager. Having been both a market trader selling her own organic bread, and a market manager, Kathryn is uniquely placed to represent all the stakeholders involved in organising a successful market. She will be responsible for working with Farmers’ Markets throughout the North East,  from the Yorkshire border to the Scottish borders. 

In her new role with NEEFM Kathryn will draw on her vast experience to manage the £100,000 Big Lottery funded  project in a two-fold approach:-

She will also be encouraging more producers to use the markets as a selling platform while raising consumer awareness of local food and drink. By emphasising the social, environmental and health benefits of eating local, fresh, seasonal produce, NEEFM aims to create a long term sustainable future for its members.

Originally from Yorkshire, Kathryn's interest in food began early, aged eleven she was selling bread from a stall in Barnsley market. As a student, she trained in nutrition and her subsequent career path has continued to combine these early interests in food and commerce. She has also been involved in several overseas projects as well as being instrumental in obtaining Fair Trade status for Alnwick in Northumberland, the market town she now calls home.

So understandably Kathryn is looking forward to her new challenge: "I am very excited about helping to promote  the fantastic Farmers' Markets we have in the North East. NEEFM is aiming to make them a social and economic hub for the whole community. We want the local Farmers' Market to be first place people think of when buying their food. As a nutritionist I know that this fresh, unadulterated is some of healthiest around and as a business woman I know how important thriving markets are to the local economy, not just to the market traders but the whole town."

Kathryn was a founder member of Local Living, the social enterprise responsible for the operation of Alnwick Farmers' Market. Through her involvement, she doubled the number of stallholders and launched a number of iniatives to increase footfall.  In a career dedicated to the promotion of local food, she has organised training courses for small producers, instigated food awards for hospitality providers and produced a directory of local produce.

Anyone wishing to find out the location of their nearest Farmers’ Market should visit  www.neefm.org.uk . Any Farmers' Markets  wishing to find out more about becoming a NEEFM member should contact Kathryn Potts on Tel. 01665 576148.

Dear Exporter

We are pleased to announce a Trade Mission to Ireland which is being organised by the Food & Drink Exporters Association and UKTI.
Ireland is a very important market for UK exporters and exports to the market are currently growing strongly.

Attached please find full details of the mission to Dublin and download an application form. Previous visits to the market have been successful with participants doing business as a result. Places are limited so please respond quickly if you are interested.

Best wishes

John S Whitehead
Food & Drink Exporters Association Limited
Easter Greenside
Leven
Fife KY8 5PB

Tel: +44 (0)1334 828892
E: john@UKFDEA.com
W: www.UKFDEA.com

Public inquiry launched on Food and Fairness

Just how fair is our food? News of hunger, obesity and bumper supermarket profits assail us over our Fairtrade breakfast brew. The worldís not perfect, but arenít we doing enough?

As the global food crisis and tight family budgets make this quandary sharper than ever, a major public inquiry wants your help.

How fair is the global food system? Who are the winners and losers? Who is responsible for making it fairer?

Whether you work in farming or the food business ñ or simply eat their products ñ you can give evidence until 16th July 2009.

The Food and Fairness Inquiry, commissioned by the Food Ethics Council, is led by a committee that includes leading figures from sectors and communities with a stake in food and farming.

Helen Browning OBE, chairing the Inquiry, said:

ìThe British public has an inbuilt sense of fairness ñ just think of the outcry over MPsí expenses. But being fair isnít always a simple case of right and wrong. What if fairness clashes with another aim, like tackling climate change or improving public health? How do we decide then what counts as the right thing to do?

ìFrom fair trade to global hunger, food can teach us a lot. Itís seen some of the boldest efforts to tackle inequality, and some of the worst cases of exploitation.

ìWe want as many people as possible to contribute to our inquiry, and help increase the profile and clarity of debates about food and fairness. We want to hear first-hand experience from consumers and people working in food and farming, as well as relevant research.

Once the committee has received your evidence, it will examine what lies behind success stories and failures, and seek to understand the responsibilities of the British government, businesses and public in promoting a fair global food system. The Inquiryís findings and recommendations will highlight consensus and differences among the members.

The Inquiry will collect written evidence from May 2009 and hold public hearings in September, October and November, reporting in the spring of 2010. Please go to http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/node/451 for more information or to have your say.

Rural Business Survey - December 2008

Currently, the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University is carrying out a survey of rural businesses in the North East region. The survey is aimed at all businesses: from market town businesses to those located in remote rural areas; from sole traders to large employers; from organic farms to IT consultants; and from start-ups to long established businesses.

Rural businesses make a very valuable contribution to the region’s economy but they are often overlooked in favour of larger urban businesses. This survey will help to build an accurate picture of the contribution that rural businesses make and the challenges and opportunities currently facing business owners in the countryside. The survey provides a chance for business owners to have their say about the environmental and other challenges they are facing, including planning restrictions, the ‘credit crunch’ and internet speeds. The results of the survey will be available in Spring 2009 and they will help to inform the future targeting of policies and business support located in the region’s rural areas and market towns.

The research is funded by ONE North East, the Northern Rock Foundation, Newcastle University and the Northumbria Larder.

All those completing the survey before 15th December will be entered into a free prize draw to win one of three £70 vouchers for a restaurant of their choice in the North East. If you are interested in completing the survey please go to: www.ncl.ac.uk/cre/ . Alternatively you can contact the research team on 0191 222 6460 and we will send you a copy of the survey in the post. Please look out for the Business Survey during November and December.

According to Taste
North East England Food & Drink Group Newsletter
First Edition - September 2008

Contents:

• What is the North East England Food & Drink Group?
• Business Competitiveness
• SALSA Recognition for 5 regional producers
• Trade Developments
• Food Awards
• Forthcoming Trade Exhibitions
• Engagement and Leadership - Vital sector gets food for thought

Wallington Food and Craft Festival - 16th & 17th October

The Wallington Food and Craft Festival will this year take place on the 16th & 17th October and will showcase a huge range of regional produce. Over 50 exhibitors from the North East and Cumbria will be attending Wallington and the Northumbria Larder demonstration kitchen will also be at the event, with top North East Chefs on hand to entertain and inform.

Highlights of the festival include displays and stalls by suppliers of fresh local food and drink, with products such as home-made cakes, biscuits, meat, cheese and sweets. Visitors to the festival will also find a wide range of arts, hand made crafts and jewellery, and the magnificent Wallington house and gardens will be open to the public as usual. Organised by a partnership of the Northumbria Larder, The National Trust and Made in Cumbria, the event runs from 10am until 5pm both days.

Sandy Duncan, general manager for Northumbria Larder, comments: “Wallington Food and Craft Festival is a wonderful event. It is really important to showcase and celebrate the fantastic food and drink that is produced in our region, and Wallington does that so well. I am particularly looking forward to watching top chefs from across the region showcase dishes using fresh, local produce”

If would like to receive an application pack, please click here to email the organisers.

NORTHUMBERLAND

Certified Farmers’ Markets
Alnwick, Last Friday, Market Place 9.00 am – 2.00 pm
Hexham, Second & Fourth Saturday, Market Place 9.00 am – 1.30 pm
Morpeth, First Saturday, Market Place 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Ponteland, Fourth Saturday, Memorial Hall, Darras Road 9.30 am – Noon

Non Certified Markets
Berwick, Last Sunday, The Maltings
Brocksbushes Ltd, Third Friday, Brocksbushes Farm Shop from 18 Apr – 15 Aug 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
Hadrian’s Wall, Second Sunday, Greenhead 10.00 am – 2.00 pm

TYNE AND WEAR

Certified Farmers’ Market
Newcastle, First Friday, Grey’s Monument, City Centre 9.30 am – 2.30 pm

Non Certified Markets

Tynemouth, Third Saturday, Metro Station

COUNTY DURHAM

Certified Farmers’ Markets
Barnard Castle, First Saturday, Market Square 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
Darlington, Third Friday, Market Place 9.00 am – 4.00 pm
Stanhope, Fourth Saturday, Durham Dales Centre 10.00 am – 3.00 pm (February-December)

Non Certified Markets
Chester le Street, Second Friday, Market Place 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
Durham, Third Thursday, Market Place
Gibside, National Trust Property 10.00 am – 2.00 pm, 20 September, 18 October, 15 November, 20 December
Middleton in Teesdale, Last Sunday, Village Centre (April - October) 11.00 am – 4.00 pm
Sedgefield, Second Sunday, outside Hope Inn

TEES VALLEY

Certified Farmers’ Markets
Hartlepool, Second Saturday, Museum Quay 9.00 am – 3.00 pm
Middlesbrough, Last Sunday, Natures World, Acklam
Pinchinthorpe, First Sunday, Pinchinthorpe Hall (Feb – Dec)

Non Certified Market
Guisborough, Second Saturday, Westgate
Stockton, High Street, Last Thursday 10.00 am – 4 pm

www.northumbria-larder.co.uk / www.northumberlandfarmersmarkets.org.uk /
 www.farmersmarkets.net/