Celebrating Mendip's Food And Drink

This year’s Mendip Food and Drink Festival has been launched with plans for a colourful calendar of events. Organisers and sponsors of the week-long celebration of food and drink gathered on the Mendips to officially launch the 2007 event and invite businesses to take part.

The festival takes place during the October half term holiday (October 19 to 28), and organisers hope to build on the success of last year’s festival when more than 60 venues took part.

Among them were pubs, restaurants, farmers’ markets, farm shops and delicatessens which celebrated the array of food and drink grown, produced and served in the area. Events included apple crushing, farm tours, pumpkin carving and a ‘Gert Posh Tea’.

The festival, which is now in its fourth year, is supported by Mendip District Council and organised by FAB!, which is currently busy encouraging food businesses across the Mendips to take part.

In addition four sponsors have announced their support of the festival. They are: Farrington’s Farm Shop, Farrington Gurney, Old Mill Accountants and Financial Advisers, Shepton Mallet, the Gaymer Cider Company, Shepton Mallet and Jon Thorner’s which has shops in Pylle, Street, Beckington and Farrington Gurney.

Festival organiser Julie Cooper from FAB! said: “We are contacting food businesses right across the area encouraging them to join us by organising events and activities for the public. This year the festival host town will be Frome so we are hoping to get lots of food businesses in that area taking part.”

“We are also grateful to those sponsors who have come forward and offered financial help, without them we really couldn’t make the Mendip Food and Drink Festival the huge success that it is. We are also delighted to see our 2006 sponsors return this year.”

Martin Lofthouse, tourism officer with Mendip District Council said: “The council is keen to support the local economy which is helping to continually strengthen our food and drink businesses.

“The Mendip Food and Drink Festival is an opportunity to gather support, not only for the tourist trade, but also to raise the profile of local food production, and the many shops, hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes across the district.”

District council chairman Cllr Edward James said: “This year’s festival coincides with the half term holiday so I’m really looking forward to seeing plenty of events for the whole family. It is important that children understand where their food comes from to appreciate the hard work of local producers but also help them understand the importance of healthy eating.

“We are very grateful to the sponsors who are helping to make this event such a success each year, now all we hope for is that businesses and the public will join us in celebrating Mendip’s great food and drink.”

To find out more visit the website - Mendipfoodfestival.co.uk.