Serving up a genuine local treat for Merseyside food lovers

Sep 4 2007 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

Serving up a genuine local treat for Merseyside food lovers

LAMB from Knowsley Hall, wood pigeon from Wirral, and apples from Formby were among the locally-sourced items on the menu for the launch of Liverpool’s Food Lovers Festival last night.

Everything on the menu for the Ultimate Food Miles Dinner, at the London Carriage Works restaurant, came from Merseyside.

The exclusive one-off dinner was cooked up by award- winning chef Paul Askew, with Knowsley Hall’s owner Lord Derby the guest of honour.

Mr Askew was challenged to create a gourmet menu with food that had travelled as few “air miles” as possible.

The furthest distance from which the produce was sourced was 13 miles away at Wirral’s Claremont Farm, which provided the vegetables for the meal.

Mr Askew said: “I believe that with the produce we’re getting, we can be as good as anywhere in the country. This gives us a real chance to pull tourists in, not just for Capital of Culture year but beyond.

“The North West is very rich in meat, fish and poultry, and restaurants like ours act as a niche market for suppliers.”

The festival is being run by North West Fine Food and supported by The Mersey Partnership, Capital of Culture and Livesmart.

Deborah Robb, of North West Fine Food, said: “The festival is about showcasing the very best food, local chefs and restaurants and what better to kick off the festival than with a special dinner highlighting the great food from Merseyside.”

Liverpool Food Lovers Festival runs until September 16 and will include events such as Seafood Across the Mersey, Cinderella Meat Day, Capital of Culture Cocktail Competition, and City Food Crawls.

LATEST details on www. liverpoolfood lovers.com