West Country Food Adventures

“From hands-on

workshops to tours, tastings, festivals and pop-up meals – it was all going on!”

West Country Food Adventures

For three years we have been working closely with Bev and Sarah Milner-Simonds, creators of the multi-award winning eat:Festivals.

You may have heard of their increasingly popular festivals which continue to pop up around the West Country. Free to attend, these festivals celebrate and support local food and drink businesses in towns across the region, and we have been delighted to see such an exciting initiative flourish.

The West Country is renowned for the quality and diversity of its food and drink sector, and the whole ethos of eat:Festivals is about showcasing the finest locally made and sourced produce in an urban environment – a winning formula with thousands attending across Somerset.

In July 2019 we were excited to see the launch of the all-new West Country Food Adventures. Building on a 2018 pilot by Wells Sustainable Network, this expanded two-week initiative encouraged people to get out into the countryside, to experience and discover a little bit more about how these delicious, locally sourced, locally produced products are made across Somerset.

Bev explained: ‘We were really pleased to get so many people out exploring, tasting and experiencing different food and drink festivals across the county. From hands-on workshops to tours, tastings, festivals and pop-up meals – it was all going on! Now we want to work with more farmers, makers and venues in 2020 to showcase the fantastic variety that we have in Somerset.’

West Country Food Adventures are an invitation to get to the root of what the land is for. It’s a chance to ask questions, taste test or get more hands on and involved in the making of products. This is also a fantastic opportunity for people to delve further into the landscape, exploring this beautiful part of the world that’s right on our doorstep.

The South West is at the forefront of the UK’s thriving food and drink sector, with many local success stories to shout about. Old Mill food and drink expert, Phil Mills said: ‘What better way to bang the drum about the quality of your product, its taste, its unique flavour and its provenance, than by encouraging consumers to get out into the countryside and go on a tour, attend a masterclass or enjoy a tasting!’

“This is a ground-breaking way to connect people with where their food comes from, and how it’s made.”

If you would like to find out more about eat: Festivals and how you can get involved, email Bev and Sarah at hello@eatfestivals.org or see what they got up to at www.westcountryfoodadventures.org.

Phil Mills