Celebrating British Food with British Food Fortnight
Celebrating British Food with British Food Fortnight
Now in its eighteenth year, British Food Fortnight is a celebration of the amazing food we produce in this country. Over the years the event has become a great opportunity for those who work in the food and drink industry to promote the benefits of buying and eating British food.
Run by Love British Food, the competition’s aim is to find the best community celebration of British food. All types of catering outlets are invited to take part during the fortnight (21st September to 6th October) and all they need to do is email details of a celebratory event held between or around those dates, before midday on 18th October. Further details are here.
What can you do to promote British food?
Firstly contact your suppliers and ask which of the products they deliver are British. We’re pleased to say that wherever possible, Total Foodservice supports British food producers.
Use British Food Fortnight as a chance to experiment with new menu items or daily specials, perhaps setting yourself a target of including at least five locally sourced products. There’s no need to source lots of different ingredients; think about traditional British favourites, such as bangers and mash or steak and ale pie (great comfort foods to see us through autumn and winter), or devise a cheeseboard exclusively comprised of British cheeses (there are loads of them!).
British Food Fortnight also provides an ideal opportunity for cost-sector caterers to encourage higher uptake of their service too. Perhaps feature popular regional dishes from around the UK on your staff restaurant’s menu – for example ‘Scouse’, Lancashire hotpot or haggis and neeps. If you are a school caterer why not promote seasonal fruit and vegetables around a Harvest Festival theme? Apple and blackberry crumble is always a favourite.
And even if you already use British food on your menus, use the opportunity to shout about it.
Promoting for long term benefit
Whatever you do, whether you choose to enter the competition or not, make British Food Fortnight an event. Let your customers know that you’re supporting British food producers and suppliers. It can be a great catalyst for building long-term opportunities – many caterers report an increase in bookings during the fortnight and also an uptake in the number of people making Christmas and party bookings as a result of the promotion.
Best of all, enjoy the challenge and let us know how you get on #BritishFoodFortnight
