A British food and drink revolution
Are you a British food champion? If, like me, you are a passionate (borderline obsessive) foodie, you will spend a great deal of your time extolling the virtues of the British food and drink culture as one of the most exciting in the world.
By Alex Hale and Alexandra Hale
Not only do we enjoy the best of almost any cuisine in the world within the British Isles, we also have access to a plethora of exotic ingredients, of which a great deal are now produced in the UK. We are also at the forefront of setting food trends, changing perceptions and affecting positive change to culinary habits.
But how proud are we of this? How often do we boast about these incredible gastronomic strengths? The answer – probably not often enough?
This typical British modesty is set to change though, with top chefs, entrepreneurs and a new generation of food leaders joining Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as the #FoodPioneers to launch the five-year Great British Food campaign.
The pioneers will work together to make 2016 the Year of British Food. Keep your eyes open for a series of events throughout the year, backed by a new 'Food is GREAT Britain' campaign to celebrate the very best in British food across the country and overseas – aiming to inspire people everywhere to choose British food for the best in taste and quality.
A selection of those involved in the campaign include Raymond Blanc OBE, Ken Hom OBE, co-founders of Leon Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, Ella Woodward of Deliciously Ella, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr. Among the British brands taking part are Sipsmith, Walker's Shortbread, Anglesey Sea Salt and Wensleydale Creamery.
This exciting campaign was fittingly launched in Bombas & Parr's new British Museum of Food in London's iconic Borough Market last night. The BMOF is the world's first cultural institution entirely devoted to the history, evolution, science, sociology and art of food.
As to be expected of one of Bompas & Parr's attention-grabbing food installations, this sensory experience is at the cutting edge of food and drink innovation. We are, after all, talking about the men behind the UK's first edible gin-and-tonic walk-in fog, a crazy golf course made of cake on the roof of Selfridges, and fireworks that exploded into fruit-flavoured mists for London Embankment's New Year's Eve celebrations.
Highlights include 'Be the Bolus', an intensive massage chair guiding you through the digestive system; the mesmerising 'Butterfly Effect', emphasising the importance of pollination and propagation on our food chain and the negative effects of pollution; and 'Choco-Phonica', a research project detailing the power of sound on taste. The museum will be open for three months from 23 October 2015, while it seeks a permanent home. All you foodies, get your tickets now at www.bmof.org.
In this apt and exciting venue, Elizabeth Truss praised the contribution of the pioneers who have transformed the food landscape and set out the government's wider ambition for our food and drink industry.
Speaking ahead of the event, Truss said 'The UK has emerged from a dark age in food where too often taste and quality were ignored. We are now transforming ourselves and taking our place as one of the most exciting food cultures in the world – a unique blend of tradition, innovation and openness.'
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