I was lucky enough to spend one of last week’s spectacularly sunny days in the Ribble Valley with Lancashire Food Hero Tours, who offer organised and bespoke visits to all manner of food producers, with demos and, of course, tastings.
Our first stop was Gazegill Organic Farm where their belief that their animals should be given the most natural, comfortable and longest life possible even extends to them naming every single one of their 100 cows!
We met Half Carrot (orange coloured on one side), Dirty Daisy (born in the mud) and Fluffy (not a name you might normally associate with these solid creatures!). Gazegill offers an education centre with hands-on activities and there is an opportunity to buy direct from the farm shop there every Friday and Saturday.
Next, Stable Trading Company which will run the Larder on the Lake shop with their organically grown produce when the floating visitor centre opens at Brockholes in April.
Our visits also took us to Rowntrees Farm where Ribble Aberdeen-Angus is reared and which is open to the public on Farm Sunday (12th June), one of the oldest trout farms in the country at Dunsop Bridge and Laund Farm which provides sheep’s milk used by Leagram Organics for their popular Ramshackle sheep’s cheese.
One of my fellow tourers was Martina from The Red Pump Inn, who believes the only way to be sure of quality is to visit all the producers personally, resulting in a selection of specials based on whatever is in season locally, plus an exclusive menu of regular dishes. I fancy the rabbit haggis...
Barbara Howorth Taste Lancashire Executive
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